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ARTICLE · 11 AUGUST 2017

NSW Government Bulletin - 9 August 2017 - Part 1: Council amalgamations scrapped

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The NSW Government will not be proceeding with the forced amalgamation of the councils challenging the mergers in court.

AustraliaGovernment, Public Sector
Rebecca Kazzi
Rebecca Kazzi
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NSW forced council amalgamations scrapped

The NSW Government has announced that it will not be proceeding with the forced amalgamation of the councils challenging the mergers in court.

In December 2015, the Government announced plans for 35 forced mergers, which would have reduced the number of councils across the state from 152 to 112. Following a string of legal challenges, the Government reduced the plan to 19 mergers, before abandoning the policy entirely last month.

The NSW Premier and Minister for Local Government attributed the policy decision to the "protracted nature of current legal challenges and the uncertainty this is causing taxpayers". The proceedings brought by Woollahra Council were due to be heard in the High Court in October, after a special leave application was granted in May.

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