After attending the meeting for the discussions on the proposed council amalgamations with representatives of the state government at the Young Services Club on Wednesday, April 6, I would like to comment on that meeting.

The meeting was mainly about whether or not Young should amalgamate with Boorowa alone or with Boorowa and Harden councils. 

The option of Young and Boorowa was not a popular one with both the residents of Boorowa and Young.  

The option of Young and Boorowa joining with Harden, which is hostile to joining with Young, would be a complete disaster for all the councils involved.

This leaves the only sensible option for Young is to stand alone.  

I note that Cowra Shire Council and Weddin Shire Council have not been coerced into joining with other any other councils.  

What criteria is the Local Government Department using that singles out councils like Young?

No one has been able to show me the details of where the anticipated financial savings resulting from amalgamations can be made.  

Our councillors appear to agree with the proposed amalgamations because, 1. They think it is a fait accompli and there is nothing they can do about it and 2. They believe there will be larger government grants coming in the years ahead.  

Both State and Federal governments are each cash strapped and are cutting down on services on a regular basis to save money. 

Anyone who believes they will have more money to spend on councils than we now receive is living in “cuckoo land”. 

As for sharing resources, Young Council already shares staff with the other councils.

Also, there has always been cooperation between the councils with the horticultural industries. 

I cannot see how amalgamations would make any difference to these arrangements.

I cannot see how any council would want to amalgamate with Young which has one of the most extensive road networks of any council (a legacy of our small holdings in the past).  

Although we have lived at Young for the past 55 years we can still go for a Sunday drive and travel on roads we have never been on before.  

If any council would like to assist Young in maintaining these roads, good luck to them.

It has been said that savings would be made with less administrative staff.  

There is no way one general manager could properly manage what three general managers now do without taking on at least two deputy general managers. 

My experience in business has shown that the bigger an organisation gets, the less efficient it gets.

Has our state government studied the results of previous amalgamations of councils?  

There have been failures where rates and expenses have increased as a result.

Katrina Hodgkinson gave a glimmer of hope when she stated that she did not agree with forced amalgamations.

It is time we stopped wasting any more time and money on these amalgamation proposals.

Larry Wordsworth

Young