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A rift has developed between the mayors of Sydney's upper north shore councils with barbs exchanged over the proposed merger of their two districts.
Ku-ring-gai mayor Jennifer Anderson has hit back at the comments by Hornsby mayor Steve Russell that she and her colleagues were "clinging to the selfish fiefdoms they've carved out using ratepayers' money" by resisting the merger.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has defended her government's decision to keep Sydney council mergers while abandoning those in regional parts of the state.
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Severe storms hammered parts of Sydney's on Saturday, inlcuding Hornsby where Fairfax photographer Nick Moir was battered by golf ball-sized hailstones.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has defended her government's decision to keep Sydney council mergers while abandoning those in regional parts of the state.
Following the NSW government's decision last week to proceed with the Sydney mergers, Cr Anderson said her council's opposition to the forced marriage with Hornsby Shire was not about self-interest, but reduced representation of the district's interests on a future super council.
"The reality is that in the proposed new council there would be nine councillors from Hornsby and six from Ku-ring-gai, thus every decision made in future for ratepayers in Ku-ring-gai could be carried by Hornsby representatives without needing a single vote from Ku-ring-gai's representatives."
A cyclist enjoys the picturesque Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.
Photo: Christopher Pearce
Cr Russell expressed his support for the merger, calling the two districts "outdated local government territories" which stood to benefit from significant savings through the merger.
But Ku-ring-gai council has maintained its ratepayers would lose out through the amalgamation by "propping up Hornsby", and continued its fight against the merger in the Supreme Court of Appeal last week.
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"Any reasonable person would wonder where the real self interest actually lies when Ku-ring-gai Council has met all of the state government's seven criteria for financial sustainability," Cr Anderson said.
"Our ratepayers simply want to retain responsibility of their own area and their own assets."
While a judgment on Ku-ring-gai's appeal may be weeks away, Cr Russell welcomed the government's commitment to enforcing the Sydney mergers.
"It would have been a tragic waste of an opportunity for our ratepayers and the tax payers of NSW - we commend the Government for sticking to their guns," he said in a statement.
"I hope we can now work with Ku-ring-gai Council to reach a sensible resolution that will benefit all ratepayers sooner rather than later."
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