CLARENCE City Council has considered the Southern Tasmanian Councils Authority’s Report (STCA) but says it will continue to talk to other councils to explore the full implications of the report.
The report recommends that the present cities of Hobart, Glenorchy and urban Clarence and the urban part of Kingborough be merged with Brighton to form a single Council.
Clarence Council has resolved to seek further information before making a judgement on whether or not to support the proposal.
The report claimed significant efficiencies could be achieved by the merger.
However Mayor of Clarence Doug Chipman said it would be inappropriate for Council to state a strong position for or against amalgamations on behalf of its residents with the limited amount of information currently at hand.
“Council wants to ensure that prior to making a judgement in respect of the proposal that Council and our community are first fully informed of the implications,” Ald Chipman said.
The May 2011 report Consolidation in Local Government: A Fresh Look published by the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government highlighted that disruption, transition costs, weakening of local democracy, loss of local identity and employment need to be weighted in any strategic approach to reform. It said there was little evidence that amalgamation would automatically yield substantial economies of scale.
“We are certainly not willing to present an outright position one way or the other until all the advantages as well as the disadvantages are understood by our stakeholders,” Ald Chipman said.
“We hope that a steering committee can be established that includes the five affected Councils to oversee this analysis. It is important that any decision by Clarence be based on well researched information that is clearly understood.”
Ald Chipman said that Clarence would also consult with the people of Clarence before any decision was made.
“We want to be able to present our residents with a real choice based on what the changes will really mean to them financially and socially, not a choice based on hype and campaigning,” he said.
“Council will progress this issue and seek to engage with the other four nominated Councils to explore the real implications of the STCA report.”
