Council amalgamations: the latest on Walcha, Tamworth and New England | video

►NSW council amalgamations announced by Premier Mike Baird

NSW Premier Mike Baird and Local Government Minister Paul Toole said residents of the new Armidale Regional Council will benefit from better services and infrastructure. Read the Premier's press release

Armidale Dumaresq and Guyra councilors and mayors have been sacked and an administrator appointed following Thursday's merger ruling. Read the full story

Walcha Council has won the battle to stand alone, thrilling mayor Janelle Archdale and the community that fought so hard. Read the full story

A huge sense of relief has swept through the community of Walcha, as the shire's key community activist George Spring welcomed the merger news.

Mr Spring said Walcha has jumped higher and and screamed louder than any other council, but the added voices of Kevin Anderson and Barnaby Joyce played a huge part.

"Walcha jumped up and down," Mr Spring said.

"But without Kevin Anderson and and Barnaby Joyce adding their voice, I don't we would have been heard as loudly as we were."

The Nowendoc farmer said he has contributed a lot of time and energy to the cause but said "when it's something you believe in strongly it doesn't matter."

Mr Spring believed the the looming federal election would have played a role in the announcements and said the proposals were put forward by a government that was "out of touch".

"However saying that, the state members that were brave enough to stand up like Kevin Anderson, Adam Marshall and Andrew Gee will be rewarded," he said.

The Walcha and Tamworth merger has been scrapped, in what Walcha mayor Janelle Archdale has called a victory for commonsense and people power.

Cr Archdale and general manager Jack O'Hara were at parliament house in Sydney on Thursday morning where they have been informed the Tamworth merger and the Armidale proposed four-way merger with Uralla and Guyra have been dumped under the former Fit for the Future proposals.

Speaking to the Leader, Cr Archdale said she had maintained the mantra "not on my watch" from the outset, which was very proud to see come to fruition.

"This is a huge victory for Walcha, all along we've said we're different and unique and this shores that up," she said.

Mayor Col Murray has welcomed the news the merger with Walcha has been dumped, echoing his counterpart's sentiment that it was a victory for the community.

"It's back to business as usual," Cr Murray said.

"It brings certainty at long last and closes a traumatic period."

Cr Murray said Walcha has "punched above it's weight" as a member of the Namoi Joint organisation and that Tamworth would continue to work closely with its neighbour.

Cr Murray said he hasn't seen a people-power push like Walcha's in his time in local government.

"We're very pleased for Walcha council that it's finally over and everyone can get back to business as usual," he said.

Guyra's council has been amalgamated with with Armidale. And not everyone's happy. Guyra Mayor Hans Hietbrink for one. Read the full story here

Scot MacDonald MLC says soon after news was made public about Armidale and Guyra’s merger, he has received three calls from people in favour of the decision. Read the full article here

Tenterfield Shire Council mayor Peter Petty said he is glad to be on the outside of all the amalgamation manoeuvrings, after the local government review recommended that Tenterfield stand alone despite not meeting all the Fit for the Future criteria in its first application.

“We’re now in a better position to meet those criteria,” he said.

“There have never been any serious conversations about amalgamation in this term of council. Glen Innes to the south was deemed Fit for the Future and Kyogle to the east is in the same situation as us.”

Cr Petty said there are no other obvious candidates.

He doesn’t think Tenterfield is missing out on the millions of dollars being compensated to new and merging councils, feeling that it will all be soaked up in administration costs and organising the new structure.

“They’ll be processing new appointments and getting council sorted out. I’d hate to be in that situation.”

Cr Petty said he has a good relationship with his counterparts in Uralla and sympathised with them having to put everything on hold, including the recruitment of a new general manager, pending amalgamation.

“Tenterfield council and staff are working to see we stay on track. We’ve been recommended to stand alone, and that’s what we’re going.”

PAUL Harmon said being Mayor of Inverell Shire Council, which was declared Fit for the Future and, unlike many around it, is not being considered for a merger, was like sitting on the sideline of a sporting match and watching the uncertainty and frustration of the teams playing the game.

He said he had spoken with Uralla Mayor Michael Pearce about the situation.

“They’re frustrated by the fact that while they have been declared unfit, Armidale council has put in a larger merger proposal to merge Uralla with Walcha, Guyra and Armidale, that has to be dealt with,” Cr Harmon said.

“So in a roundabout way the state government is pitting local councils against each other to defend their right to stand alone.

“I do feel for those councils involved in the merger process, and I think some of it could have been handled better. It’s something the government should look at and learn from, so that if there’s any more rounds of mergers there may be a different tack they could take.”

Cr Harmon said although the Inverell council was recommended to stand alone this time around, it was a clear demonstration of why it needed to remain proactive and at the top of its game.

He said the Fit for the Future process had not helped an existing element of distrust within the New England group of councils that stemmed from the predatory nature of certain councils.

“Fit for the Future put everybody on tender hooks,” Cr Harmon said.

“It could undo some of the good work that we’ve actually achieved in the group. 

“Local government is about providing services for your local community, and making decisions that are in the best interests of your whole community.

He thought the threat of a merger in the background would be a distraction to any council being able to provide the best their communities.

“Because the question you’re always asking is ‘What is our community going to be?’,” Cr Harmon said.

New councils are to be created across the state as early as this week if Premier Mike Baird's government signs off on merger proposals on Thursday.

The creation of up to 20 larger councils across the state is being accelerated, in part to resolve what could emerge as a political sore for the Coalition ahead of the July 2 federal election.

The plan was to reduce 152 councils in NSW down to 113. It will reduce Sydney councils from 43 to 25. That number will now become 115.

But it is understand councils that have challenged their proposed merger in court will be spared from the amalgamation process, pending the outcome of those court battles.

Councils that have initiated legal action against the mergers also include Woollahra, Hunters Hill, Oberon, Walcha and Carbonne.

It was reported that Mr Baird had back-flipped on the creation of a number of councils. These included a merged Kiama and Shoalhaven council, a merged Hills Shire and Hawkesbury councils, and Tamworth and Walcha councils.

Cabinet is set to consider the merger plans on Thursday morning. The plans will then be put to a meeting of the Coalition party room.