A shake-up in the wake of former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell’s resignation last week has left the state with a new Local Government Minister, and stimulated concern as to how he will manage broad council reforms.

Former Minister Don Page announced he will retire at the next election, leaving new premier Michael Baird to appoint Paul Toole as the new Minister for Local Government.

The Jerilderie Shire council GM Craig Moffitt says the former minister was to front a forum next week and discuss the Revitalising Local Government report, but the change-over has left locals wondering what the new minister is intending to do.

Mr Toole has made early indications that he will not force amalgamations on rural NSW councils.

“I already have a pretty good handle on things coming from a long history of involvement in local government before entering state politics,” Toole told local newspaper the Western Advocate on Thursday.

“I know my predecessor Don Page did a lot of work in regard to the local government reform process and I will be reviewing those documents before looking to take the next step forward in this regard.

“The government has stated there will be no forced amalgamations and I aim to honour that, but there are also some councils who have already indicated they want to take up voluntary amalgamations with support from the state government to work through the process.”

While he says the councils will not be forced together, many will have to make such tough decisions on their own.

“All councils know they have to do things better and cannot continue to operate simply doing nothing,” he said.

"They must look at sharing resources and ensure they are able to provide effective services to the communities they represent.”

"They must also be a viable operation because reports show that in years to come 50 per cent of councils are at risk of being classified as being financially unviable.”