Super Council Merger

[Wayno]

From The Messenger:

West Torrens councillors give City merge heave-ho

Chris Day

25Jun08

A MERGER between West Torrens and Adelaide City councils would not get past first base with the majority of West Torrens councillors.

At a council meeting last week, members shot down the idea of even investigating an amalgamation between the two councils following media reports that Mayor John Trainer and Lord Mayor Michael Harbison had been privately discussing the idea for a year.

Neither mayor has formally raised an amalgamation with their councils or with the State Government. West Torrens members last week voted 10-2 in favour of the council's official position of being against mergers, preferring to share services between councils.

Stressing he was also against amalgamations, Mr Trainer said however that Adelaide City would be his first preference if West Torrens were forced into an amalgamation by the State Government. Mr Harbison last month said a merger would better serve the city's transport by bringing Adelaide Airport, Keswick Rail Terminal and the Adelaide Railway Station under the control of one council. However, he will not push for an amalgamation.

pfft, shared services? does that mean using the same photocopier machine?

A more meaningful statement would have been something like "strategic partnerships across councils for issues such as PT to the benefit of the greater adelaide community"

[Omicron]

I think he means rubbish collection contracts and the like.

[AtD]

Of course they're all against it, it'll put them all out of a job!

[RAL1981Adelaide]

I feel that it should not just be the city of Adelaide and West Torrens, the merger should also take in Prospect, Walkerville, Norwood Payneham & St Peters, and Unley. By my count this would make it at least 200,000 resident's. By doing so it would also better take in views of wider people that would regularly go in to the city and surrounding area's.

[Wayno]

We've sent a delegation to learn from NZ.

From scoop.co.nz

South Australia seeks inspiration from Super City

Press Release: Auckland Council

South Australia is seeking to learn from the experiences of the new Auckland as it considers the future of local government in the state.

A 16-person delegation from the state’s Local Government Association (LGASA) is visiting Auckland as well as Tauranga and Wellington on a fact-finding tour.

The association has launched a ‘Council of the future’ initiative, with a focus on the future of local government in South Australia, including Adelaide.

The initiative is led by a three-person expert panel chaired by former State Government Minister Greg Crafter along with former District Court Judge Christine Trenorden and Australian local government expert Professor Graham Sansom.

The delegation says the Auckland reforms and the experience of the different elements of the Auckland Council should be invaluable for South Australia.

Among the matters which they are interested in are the governance reform itself, Auckland’s council controlled organisations, the relationship between central and local government, the local boards and the Upper North Island Strategic Alliance.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown says the establishment of the super city – the biggest council in Australia or New Zealand - is of real interest to people on both sides of the Tasman.

“Clearly people anywhere considering local government reform must decide for themselves what is right for them, but we are very happy to share what we have achieved during the first two and a half years of the new Auckland.”

The delegation will meet with the Mayor and other Auckland Council representatives tomorrow (Thursday 11 April).

Adelaide has a urban population (1.263m) that is slightly smaller than Auckland’s (1.397m) but with 18 councils, while the total population of the new Auckland (1.508m) is slightly less than the total population of South Australia (1.658m).