Brian Wood of the ABC has reported Member for Bathurst Paul Toole stated “Post 2015 we cannot have councils that aren’t financially viable.”

Bathurst’s Country Labor candidate Cassandra Coleman said Oberon Council has every reason to be nervous about its future.

Mrs Coleman called on Mr Toole – who was made Local Government Minister in Premier Mike Baird’s cabinet reshuffle in April – and the NSW Government to come clean on plans for councils, and rule out any forced amalgamations before the next state election in 2015.

Mr Toole said he has already been approached by councils including Boorowa, Harden and Young which are looking at the benefits of a voluntary merger. He noted that under a Labor government there were no fewer than 27 forced amalgamations, and no help was offered for the councils to deal with the change.

“After 2015, if we are returned to government, there will be a pathway to go down to look at whether or not councils are financially viable and that means putting every council under the microscope,” Mr Toole said.

Mrs Coleman said “Minister Toole has refused to rule out forcing councils to amalgamate, which would cost local jobs and diminish community services,” she said.

Mr Toole said “People have to remember there are ways of creating better economies of scale than a straight amalgamation and these include resource sharing.” He said the report Mrs Coleman was referring to had 65 recommendations to ensure councils remain financially viable and able to deliver the necessary services to their communities.

“The government will be responding to the Independent Local Government Review Panel’s findings before the end of the year,” he said. “With expectations that within the next two years 50 per cent of councils in NSW will be in a weak or very weak financial position, the need to get the response right has never been more important.”

Harden Shire Councillors will be meeting with Cootamundra Shire Councillors on the 8th of September in a combined meeting to discuss their positions on the subject of amalgamation.

Harden first made contact with Boorowa and Young Shires in June 2013 when they met at Galong and are only now having discussions with the neighbouring shire of Cootamundra some 15 months later.