Hills resolve to takeover Hawkesbury

A merger between the Hawkesbury City Council and The Hills Shire Council would be totally unworkable and impractical said the Mayor of Hawkesbury, Councillor Kim Ford. This was in response to The Hills Council’s resolution to approach the State Government to indicate their willingness to merge with Hawkesbury City Council.

The report, which was full of misleading statistics and incorrect assumptions, was presented to The Hills Council at its Ordinary Meeting on Tuesday, 10 November 2015.

“The content of the report makes it abundantly clear that The Hills have no understanding of the needs and values of the Hawkesbury community or of the services and facilities that our Council provides.” the Mayor said.

“A merger is not the answer. Council has formed a strategic alliance with Penrith City Council and Blue Mountains City Council. This will allow us to achieve the efficiencies that local government reform is seeking while maintaining our autonomy and identity.

“The Hills propose an unworkable and impractical north-west super council which would stretch westward from North Parramatta to Bilpin covering a massive area of nearly 3,200 square kilometres. Our total area would be represented by, at best, three councillors out of 12 representatives.

“The Hills aggressive plan signals a potentially disastrous takeover for the residents of the Hawkesbury, who will be largely neglected due this under representation.

“I am deeply concerned that The Hills report indicates that a different rating structure may need to be applied to any Hawkesbury area of a merger. This may mean that Hawkesbury residents end up paying much more than current Hills residents,” said Councillor Ford.

A review of local government, which the State Government accepted, has indicated the preferred option for Hawkesbury City Council was no change and the latest assessment by IPART has indicated that Hawkesbury has the scale and the capacity to remain a stand-alone council.

“There is no evidence to suggest that a merger with The Hills has significant public support or a positive impact for the Hawkesbury.” he said.

“It seems The Hills primary focus in supporting the merger is the incentive of a cash grab from the State Government, most of which would be spent in merger costs. When neither the Hills nor the Hawkesbury have been asked by the State Government to consider a merger, this certainly seems like a hostile takeover bid.”

The Hills report also criticised the Hawkesbury’s financial position.

“This is coming from a Council that has a history of being financially mismanaged,” Councillor Ford said.

“Hawkesbury City Council acknowledges that it faces financial challenges due to its small rate base. A solid Fit for the Future plan, including 20 strategies, will be adjusted so that Council will meet all benchmarks for a metropolitan Council, even though we are a largely rural area.”

Hawkesbury City Council’s external auditor from PricewaterhouseCoopers addressed Council’s meeting last Tuesday, 10 November giving a strong assurance to the community that operating results are on track and improving.

The auditor advised that Hawkesbury City Council was in a good financial position, definitely sustainable and was certainly able to stand on its own, as it has for many years.