Thursday, 24 March 2016
AMID the confusion caused by the consideration three local council merger proposals in the region, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall today moved to clarify the timing of the local government elections, scheduled for September this year.
Mr Marshall had sought advice from Local Government Minister Paul Toole following several conflicting media reports about the timing of this year’s elections.
Under the Local Government Act, elections for all 152 councils are held every four years in September.
“The Minister clarified the situation in Parliament this week and said that elections would proceed as scheduled for all councils not currently the subject of a merger proposal under consideration,” Mr Marshall said.
“Those councils which are the subject of a proposal will have their elections pushed back to March next year.”
“That means that in the Northern Tablelands, Moree Plains, Gwydir, Inverell and Glen Innes Severn Councils will go to the polls in September while Guyra, Armidale Dumaresq and Uralla – regardless of the outcome of the merger proposals – will hold elections in March.
Mr Marshall said that while there still left a lot of uncertainty for the future of the Guyra, Armidale Dumaresq and Uralla communities, he was pleased the elections timing had been clarified.
“Prospective candidates and the public in Moree Plains, Inverell, Gwydir and Glen Innes Severn local government areas can now prepare to go the polls in September with certainty,” he said.