THE City of Subiaco has taken a significant step towards the amalgamation of its council after it entered an agreement with the City of Nedlands, which could see both councils merged by 2013.
The agreement will see the cities of Subiaco and Nedlands prepare a business plan to assess the viability of a proposal to merge the councils.
The potential amalgamation is being explored on a no-obligation basis, meaning that once the business plan has been prepared, a council can withdraw from the process if it believes there is no advantage in proceeding with the proposal.
City of Subiaco chief executive Stephen Tindale said the agreement was a significant step in the local government reform process.
“We are the first local governments in the metropolitan area, let alone the western suburbs, to formally agree to enter a regional transition group,” Mr Tindale said.
“A regional transition group brings with it a number of potentially significant benefits for the community and the organisation, including long-term cost saving that could be applied to additional works and services.”
Mr Tindale said the plan hinged on receiving community support, and without it, a voluntary amalgamation proposal would not proceed.
“There must be congruity in terms of each community’s vision for the future that the new council is prepared to stand by,” he said.
“This can only be discovered through an earnest and thorough community engagement process in the transition period.”
Planning Minister John Day welcomed the agreement, saying in a statement released last week the decision would enable both cities to undertake due diligence to determine the costs of amalgamating, and to outline the mutual benefits in merging.
Mr Day said he strongly advocated reform within the western suburbs, where six local governments with 61 elected members preside over a population of approximately 65,000.
