Article Reproduced from Pittwater Online News - Issue 322 July 23 - 29, 2017
Advocates for the former Pittwater Council have engaged a legal team to consider taking the NSW government to court to recover the council.
The Protect Pittwater Association president Bob Grace today said the group, set up in May, has now selected solicitors from the firm Beswick Lynch.“We now have our legal team in place,” Mr Grace said.
“We are doing this with funding raised from the community - so we must take a responsible approach".
“However, the fact that residents have to spend money to fight to get our council back is a disgrace".
“Internal polling by the council before the mergers showed 89 per cent of Pittwater residents wanted to retain our council".
“The amalgamation of financially sound councils by the NSW Coalition government was a travesty of democracy.”
Mr Grace, a former Pittwater councillor, said the crowd-funding had taken place during May and June and Protect Pittwater had also received other donations towards potential legal action.
The group, which includes former Pittwater mayor Lynne Czinner, is also circulating a petition calling on the state government to reconstitute Pittwater Council.
Supporters have already collected more than the 250 signatures needed under the Local Government Act to spark a government inquiry into the amalgamation.
Moves for de-amalgamations are also occurring in State Parliament, with a bill put forward in the Upper House by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and supported by the Greens passing in June.
The bill, supported by all parties except the Coalition, gives residents in forcibly amalgamated councils the right to a plebiscite on de-mergers.
It is expected to be presented to the Lower House in early August. The Legislative Assembly next sits on Tuesday August 1st 2017.
The level of anger has not abated in the local at what is considered a measure enacted to simply serve those who do not have the best wishes of residents in mind and to disempower them from a say in their own communities future.
Placing the community under an administration construct, where people not voted in to represent people have been seemingly willingly stepped into the roles of those they displaced, including overseeing the 'opening' of any new library, skate park, path beside an ocean, etc. has not only maintained the anger it has added outrage to it, increasing the unpopularity of the usurpers and reducing any credence to any statement issued.
Meanwhile council elections have been announced and political parties are standing for positions in the ward now named "Pittwater" under the forced amalgamation design.
At this stage only one team is claiming 'Independent' status, others are newly formed parties with affiliations with state and federal political parties or dues paying members of those state and federal political parties and their politicos.
Has the 'local' now vanished from Local Government?
Is Local government itself is what is now extinct?
“We are doing this with funding raised from the community - so we must take a responsible approach".
“However, the fact that residents have to spend money to fight to get our council back is a disgrace".
“Internal polling by the council before the mergers showed 89 per cent of Pittwater residents wanted to retain our council".
“The amalgamation of financially sound councils by the NSW Coalition government was a travesty of democracy.”
Mr Grace, a former Pittwater councillor, said the crowd-funding had taken place during May and June and Protect Pittwater had also received other donations towards potential legal action.
The group, which includes former Pittwater mayor Lynne Czinner, is also circulating a petition calling on the state government to reconstitute Pittwater Council.
Supporters have already collected more than the 250 signatures needed under the Local Government Act to spark a government inquiry into the amalgamation.
Moves for de-amalgamations are also occurring in State Parliament, with a bill put forward in the Upper House by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and supported by the Greens passing in June.
The bill, supported by all parties except the Coalition, gives residents in forcibly amalgamated councils the right to a plebiscite on de-mergers.
It is expected to be presented to the Lower House in early August. The Legislative Assembly next sits on Tuesday August 1st 2017.
The level of anger has not abated in the local at what is considered a measure enacted to simply serve those who do not have the best wishes of residents in mind and to disempower them from a say in their own communities future.
Placing the community under an administration construct, where people not voted in to represent people have been seemingly willingly stepped into the roles of those they displaced, including overseeing the 'opening' of any new library, skate park, path beside an ocean, etc. has not only maintained the anger it has added outrage to it, increasing the unpopularity of the usurpers and reducing any credence to any statement issued.
Meanwhile council elections have been announced and political parties are standing for positions in the ward now named "Pittwater" under the forced amalgamation design.
At this stage only one team is claiming 'Independent' status, others are newly formed parties with affiliations with state and federal political parties or dues paying members of those state and federal political parties and their politicos.
Has the 'local' now vanished from Local Government?
Is Local government itself is what is now extinct?