Amalgamation in action: Participant perspectives on the Armidale regional council merger process. Issue 4 (12th November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wallace, Andrea; Dollery, Brian; Thi Thanh Tran, Carolyn-Dung
• Is Part Of: Australian journal of social issues. Volume 54:Issue 4(2019)
• Page Start: 436
• Page End: 455
• Publication Date: 2019-11-12
• Subjects: amalgamation -- Armidale -- fit for the future -- local government; Australia -- Social policy -- Periodicals; Social service -- Australia -- Periodicals; Australia -- Social conditions -- Periodicals; Social conditions; Social service; Social policy; Australia; Periodicals; 362.99405
• DOI: 10.1002/ajs4.88
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0157-6321

Abstract

Abstract: Under its Fit for the Future reform programme, in May 2016 the New South Wales (NSW) government forcibly merged a number of municipalities, including the Armidale Dumaresq Council and the Guyra Shire Council in the New England region of northern NSW. Whilst scholarly attention has focused on the likely impact of municipal mergers on council performance at the system‐wide level (Bell, Dollery & Drew 2016; Economic Papers: A journal of applied economics and policy, 35, 99), much less effort has been devoted to the analysis of the perspectives of council managers and employees involved in forced consolidation. In order to address this gap in the literature, in this paper we present a case study of compulsory council consolidation of the Armidale and Guyra councils based on interviews with senior managers as well as a survey of council workers.