Unelected administrators will run 19 new councils in NSW for more than a year, after the Baird government sacked mayors and councillors from 42 councils on Thursday and drew fire for trashing local democracy.

But Premier Mike Baird brushed off the criticism, saying "people have us here to make decisions" and insisted the new councils would deliver better services for lower costs.

The administrators – mainly former public servants, council managers and a couple of mayors and former Coalition MPs – will have the power of mayors and councillors but will be prevented from changing development plans until elections are held in September next year.

They will also be prevented from outsize increases in rates, after the government said rates could not increase beyond normal levels for four years.

The Baird government's move to accelerate the creation of new councils this week was in part to bring the process before the July 2 election.

But the politics of council mergers could still affect the federal poll, with broadcaster Alan Jones accusing Mr Baird of sabotaging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's election chances through politically motivated decisions, and more amalgamations to come.

The government indicated it would sack another 23 councils and replace them with nine larger entities, provided legal challenges against the mergers fail.

The Premier described the four-year process leading to the creation of new councils as "long as well as painful at times" but one that had involved a lot of consultation.

"I strongly believe the people have us here to make decisions," Mr Baird said. "Now we think this is in the long-term interests of every ratepayer in this state."

Opposition Leader Luke Foley promised that if elected in 2019 his party would create a "process for demerging" councils that had been forced to amalgamate.

"We will allow local communities to determine their futures democratically," said Mr Foley, who accused the government of "boundary rigging" and "gerrymandering".

The outgoing mayors of Leichhardt, Marrickville and Ashfield have announced they will form an "elected mayors committee" to scrutinise decisions made by administrators."Winter has come to the inner west and like Ned Stark, the heads of democratically elected representatives have been chopped off," former Leichhardt mayor Darcy Byrne said.

Professor Graham Sansom, who authored the 2013 report that influenced the government's push to transform the sector, said it would have been better for councillors to remain in office.

"I think the thing that is troubling is that it really shows a total lack of respect for local democracy and I think the government should have found a different way of going about it," Professor Sansom said.

When Queensland embarked on council reform in 2008, merging councils remained in place and worked alongside transition committees until the following local government elections.

"What you're doing is disenfranchising a very large number of people simply because the government chose to amalgamate their councils, not because anybody has done anything wrong and that's why the Queensland approach is much better," Professor Sansom said.

Mr Baird was also forced to deny that political pressures were behind the government's decision to abandon contentious proposed mergers of Walcha and Tamworth and Kiama and Shoalhaven.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, in a tight tussle for the seat of New England, has agitated against the Walcha and Tamworth merger.

Delegates appointed by the government recommended against two proposed mergers – Hawkesbury and the Hills, and Kiama and Shoalhaven. Walcha Council could eventually be merged to form part of an Armidale Regional Council.

Mr Toole said "inductions" would take place at the weekend with administrators and newly appointed interim general managers. Former mayors and councillors will be invited to join advisory groups and local representative committees.Dr Stewart Jackson, from the department of government and international relations at the University of Sydney, said the appointment of administrators was "entirely undemocratic" because residents would have no control over what they did.

Chris Johnson, chief executive of the developer lobby group The Urban Taskforce, said he was concerned planning approvals would grind to a halt if administrators were tentative about making decisions on major projects.

"If the administrators are told they are caretakers and not to do anything that could be controversial or rock the boat, it would a pretty negative and slow time, certainly for new housing," Mr Johnson said.

Elections for the new councils will be held in September 2017.

New councils:

Armidale Regional Council (Armidale, Dumaresq and Guyra)

Canterbury-Bankstown Council (Bankstown and Canterbury)

Central Coast Council (Gosford and Wyong)

City of Parramatta Council (Parramatta and part of Hills, Auburn, Holroyd and Hornsby)

Cumberland Council (Auburn and Holroyd)

Edward River Council (Conargo and Deniliquin)

Federation Council (Corowa and Urana)

Georges River Council (Hurstville and Kogarah)

Gundagai Council (Cootamundra and Gundagai)

Snowy Monaro Regional Council (Bombala, Cooma Monaro and Snowy River)

Hilltops Council (Boorowa, Harden and Young)

Inner West Council (Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville)

Mid-Coast Council (Gloucester, Great Lakes and Greater Taree)

Murray River Council (Murray and Wakool)

Murrumbidgee Council (Jerilderie and Murrumbidgee)

Northern Beaches Council (Manly, Pittwater and Warringah)

Queanbeyan-Palerange Regional Council (Queanbeyan and Palerang)

Snowy Valleys Council (Tumut and Tumbarumba)

Western Plains Regional Council (Dubbo and Wellington)

Subject to the decisions of the courts, the Minister has announced his in-principle support for the following mergers:

Botany and Rockdale

Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra

Bathurst and Oberon

Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby

Mosman, North Sydney and Willoughby

Blayney, Cabonne and Orange

Hunters Hill, Lane Cove and Ryde

Burwood, Canada Bay and Strathfield

Shellharbour and Wollongong

Merger proposals pending:

Newcastle and Port Stephens

Dungog and Maitland

Armidale-Dumaresq, Guyra, Walcha and Uralla