Subiaco flips script on council mergers

The City of Subiaco has thrown two new proposals into the discussion surrounding local government reform, flagging a merger with the City of Perth or extending its boundaries to claim a portion of Jolimont from the Town of Cambridge.

Subiaco councillors voted eight to four in favour of merging with the City of Perth or extending its boundaries last night, instead of endorsing the state government’s plan to merge with six other western suburbs councils.

City of Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the merger proposal was an interesting idea that warranted further discussion.

“The prospect of joining with Subiaco was not part of our original submission to the Local Government Advisory Board, but this latest development just goes to show that the local government reform process is very much a live one,” Ms Scaffidi said in a statement.

“As with every other stage of this reform process, the City of Perth will very diligently assess the potential merit and implications of the Subiaco proposal before reaching any conclusion.”

She said having Subiaco within the City of Perth, however, appeared to be more logical than including lower-density areas of the City of Vincent within its boundaries.

“If the state government were to have taken a sensible and strategic approach to expanding the City of Perth, it might have made more sense for it to include inner-city suburban areas like the centre of Subiaco, before including typically suburban areas such as Mt Hawthorn.”

Comment is being sought from the City of Subiaco.

A survey conducted on behalf of the City of Subiaco by Catalyse Research & Strategy showed 60 per cent of Subiaco residents preferred to remain independent, and just 18 per cent supported a merger with the City of Perth.

Around 40 per cent of residents supported expanding the City of Subiaco's boundaries into the Town of Cambridge.

For businesses, the survey showed 30 per cent of respondents want to remain independent, while 56 per cent supported extending into Cambridge.