IN the recent MidCoast Council meeting on 22 September 2021, Councillor Kathryn Bell raised a motion for the Council to prepare a report regarding an amendment to the NSW Local Government Act 1993.

The new section 218CC provides that within ten years of the constitution of a new area, an amalgamated council for that area may submit a written business case to the Minister ‘Setting out a proposal for the de-amalgamation of the new area, whether by reconstituting the former areas or constituting different areas’.

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Cr Bell raised the motion with hopes of the Council looking at the option of boundary rezoning, asking the General Manager to prepare a report for the November Ordinary meeting which canvasses the desirability and utility of a review of the Local Government Area based on a viable business case study.

“I strongly believe we should explore opportunities available to us to look at ways to improve and strengthen our Council in terms of accessibility and utility for the community we serve.

“As one of several councillors in this Chamber today who were sacked for no wrongdoing, I don’t deny a sense of bitterness about our forced merger, however, we have now been afforded a role in relation to the merger and it is our choice as to whether we take it on,” Cr Bell said.

“We need information, we need to devise a study.

“We need to compare a demerger case along with a boundary adjustment case,” she said.

This motion raised a large point of contention between Council members, with various councillors believing that this issue should be raised after the elections in December.

Councillor Len Roberts was one of many councillors who supported the potential of a boundary review, however did not support the motion at this time.

“If you want to have this review, I believe it should be held and called for after the elections; that way all the heat and emotion is taken out of the debate.

“Right now is not the right time to look at this motion,” Cr Roberts said.

The general consensus between councillors was that a de-amalgamation was not on the table, however there is potential in the future to review boundaries and zoning of the MidCoast LGA, but it is not the right time for such a motion to pass.

The motion was supported by Councillor Kathryn Bell and Councillor Peter Epov, however it did not pass.

By Tara CAMPBELL