THE dividing lines are being pencilled on the map as the hot topic of amalgamations is considered by councils.
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Okay, maybe it's a little premature.
But the issue’s surely in the back of councils’ minds following the state government announcing its plan to be Fit for the Future.
This program will assist with the implementation of the Independent Local Government Review Panel’s recommendations, one of which is amalgamating councils.
The panel prefers to use the term “voluntary mergers” rather than the A-word, but that’s only semantics.
However the issue is spun – voluntary mergers, joint organisations and all that – it’s important to discuss.
For the communities of Guyra, Uralla and Walcha - Armidale's closest neighbouring shires – it’s particularly important. Every New England council is in favour of more regional co-operation and resource sharing to become more efficient.
For Guyra and Uralla the airport is just as important as it is to Armidale.
Roads, water, waste and IT are all areas of regional significance for councils, and so they should be.
An even bigger issue is how amalgamations, if they are to occur, will be structured.
How will the boundaries be divided? While Uralla and Guyra are Armidale's closest neighbours, Tingha and Bundarra’s main centre is Inverell.
Discussions are a must so these smaller towns are not forgotten if the shires are required to amalgamate with Armidale's council, or any other.
There are other issues about staffing but these complications come second to the concerns of communities involved.
Send your correspondence to lydia.roberts@fairfaxmedia.com.au or The Armidale Express, PO Box 70, Armidale, NSW, 2350 .
