Local Government Minister John Castrilli today announced strategies for local government reform based on a voluntary reduction in the number of individual councils.

The Liberal-National Government strategies aim to achieve greater capacity for local government to better plan, manage and implement services to their communities with a focus on social, environmental and economic sustainability.

Mr Castrilli, who announced the strategies at a combined local government ward meeting in Exmouth, said he hoped future merged councils would also reduce their total number of elected members to between six and nine.

“I am inviting each of the 139 councils within Western Australia to embrace this opportunity to voluntarily amalgamate and to voluntarily reduce the total number of elected members for each council,” he said.

The Minister considers that a period of six months from the date of this announcement would be enough time for each council to advise him of its clear intentions for amalgamations and reductions in the total number of elected members.

He also requested all local governments to form appropriate regional groupings of councils to assist with the efficient delivery of their services.  This would be in line with proposed grants to local government, under the recently announced Country Local Government Fund which services individual councils and their regional organisations.

“The strategies I have announced today take the regional approach to decision making to another level for local governments within WA,” he said.

“In October last year, I established the Local Government Sustainability Joint Steering Committee to review the West Australian Local Government Association Sustainability Study and develop an implementation strategy.

“After carefully considering its recommendations and additional research, I am convinced that local government in its current form is simply not sustainable.”

Mr Castrilli said there were 85 local councils in WA serving populations of less than 2,000 people.

He also noted more than 50 councils had representation ratios of one councillor to less than 100 electors and this ratio fell as low as one to 20.

“The benefits from amalgamations across the state, including metropolitan Perth, will be very significant,” the Minister said. 

“These include achieving greater economies of scale, elected members clearly focusing on governance and long-term strategic planning.

“Increased competition for staff positions within the sector will be a welcome change from the present situation.” 

Mr Castrilli observed that fewer, yet larger, local governments would improve their State and Federal Government lobbying capacity, and this may lead to additional funding and partnerships from those levels of government and the private sector to further improve services to communities.

To oversee and assist local governments with implementation of the strategies, the Minister is proposing to establish a Local Government Reform Steering Committee to include public and private sector representation and two elected members of the Local Government Advisory Board. 

Four working groups will report to the steering committee on a regular basis.

“I urge each local council to take every advantage of this opportunity for voluntary reform,” Mr Castrilli said.