New South Wales’ local government sector is outraged at alleged Baird Government plans to unilaterally sack NSW Councils and replace them with administrators.

Reports say Local Government Minister Paul Toole has taken a proposal to Cabinet that would see all elected Mayors and Councillors sacked in order to force through the creation of ‘mega-councils’, some with populations the size of Tasmania.

Under the proposal, smaller rural Councils would be replaced with Community Boards.

Local Government NSW President Keith Rhoades says that - if true - it would vindicate the very worst fears of councils and communities, by confirming the Government's plot to crush local democracy.

“Just three days ago, I and LGNSW Chief Executive Donna Rygate sat with Premier Mike Baird, trying to get information on the Government's plans, process and timing,” Cr Rhoades said.

“There was no mention of the alleged hidden agenda splashed across the media today - none.

“It would be an outrageous breach of faith, and completely ignore the rights of residents and ratepayers, who elected their councillors to represent their wishes for the future of their communities.”

Cr Rhoades said councils had entered into the reform process in good faith, investing enormous amounts of time, effort and money to consult their communities, analyse council finances, develop improvement plans and prepare submissions to IPART, and to a Parliamentary Inquiry supported by the Government.

“Yet from today's media reports, the whole Fit for the Future process, with its ratios, submissions and forums, could be just camouflage for a developer-driven political agenda.

“The arrogance and duplicity of this would be breathtaking.”

Cr Rhoades said some had argued the only real efficiency gain from amalgamation would be that the State Government and property developers had fewer Councils to deal with, allowing them to ignore the wishes of individual communities.

“Local Government is the only way the majority of ordinary individuals can have a direct input into the future of their neighbourhoods and the way they live their lives – and they don’t want any sphere of Government riding roughshod over this right.

“They don’t want to be forced to give way to big developers, or to see their lifestyles impacted by decisions into which they have no meaningful input.

“The Premier and the Minister have dodged the question of forced amalgamations for more than a year, but they must come out today and confirm or deny publicly whether the Minister took this proposal to Cabinet - and if he claims he did not, he should explain why some of his Cabinet colleagues are so horrified by the proposal they seem to be leaking it to the media.

“If Premier Baird and Minister Toole won’t rule out mass Council sackings, then residents and ratepayers throughout NSW will know this process and this Government are nothing but a bad joke, with democracy as the punchline.”