WITH every birth, there is the business of choosing a name. It is no different with new councils.
As the former Armidale Dumaresq and Guyra Shire Councils are in the process of merging their individual identities into one as part of the NSW council amalgamations, State MP Adam Marshall is calling for ideas on what the new council should be named.
The new structure has been gazetted ‘Armidale Regional Council’, but Mr Marshall has heard from many Armidale and Guyra residents alike that they do not regard this as satisfactory.
“Some are happy to keep this name, but there have been so many people asking for something that better represents the merged identities of these regions that I now want to open it up for feedback,” Mr Marshall said.
“There have been a number of new names suggested to me by the community. The most common are ‘Northern Tablelands Council’ and ‘New England Council’. There are also those who are comfortable leaving the name as it was gazetted.
“If I am to make a formal request to the Minister to change the name of the new council, I need to hear more from the community about the best name to match the new identity and the region the council now covers.”
To make consultation easier, Mr Marshall is seeking community views on the following options:
A) Northern Tablelands Council
B) New England Council
C) Central New England Council
D) Leave the names as is (Armidale Regional Council)
E) Another name
Mr Marshall is urging the community to contact his office with ideas over the next week.
Comments can be lodged via email: northerntablelands@parliament.nsw.gov.au or by phone: 6772 5552 or via the poll option on Twitter @a_j_marshall or Facebook www.facebook.com/Adam-Marshall-MP