Arabic version: كليرمونت تفتح محادثات بشأن احتمال دمج المجالس المحلية

According to ABC News, the Town of Claremont has unanimously authorised Mayor Peter Telford to discuss possible council mergers, making it one of the first Perth councils to formally express openness to an amalgamation. The move could foreshadow a merger involving councils in Perth’s western suburbs.

Telford said neighbouring Nedlands, Cottesloe and Peppermint Grove were obvious potential partners because they share borders with Claremont. He said the council’s vote showed “leadership and confidence” and that it was probably time to consider a merger. He is due to meet Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley next week to explore funding, options and fact-finding.

The state government has been encouraging council mergers and introduced reforms last month intended to support them. Beazley has previously said amalgamations could provide economies of scale. In a statement, she welcomed Claremont’s decision and said she looked forward to discussing the council’s “exciting development” with its mayor.

Town of Cottesloe Mayor Melissa Harkins said western suburbs councils had already held informal merger discussions with the WA Local Government Association. Some councils share resources including rangers and depots, she said. Harkins said Cottesloe would consider taking the issue to council, but called for state government-funded economic and social modelling before any merger is considered.

Western suburbs local governments are comparatively small. Peppermint Grove, the metropolitan area’s smallest council, has a population of about 1,600 and covers 1.06 square kilometres. Cottesloe has about 8,000 residents and Nedlands has 25,000, compared with more than 254,000 residents in the City of Stirling. A previous plan to halve Perth metropolitan councils was abandoned in 2015 after opposition.