TAMWORTH Regional Council refuses to put itself in a position to lose millions of dollars if the merger goes ahead.
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The state government has put a $10 million carrot on the table for newly merged councils.
Tamworth mayor Col Murray said Local Government Minister Paul Toole suggested money wouldn’t be forthcoming to councils that publicly spoke out against the merger.
“I won’t take a chance on that with our community, or in fact the broader community, if a merger goes ahead,” Cr Murray said.
“Tamworth council will represent its community. And this is not our project, this is the NSW government’s project.”
Cr Murray also hit back at claims from former New England MP Tony Windsor, who said the issue would go away if Tamworth Regional Council said “no” to the amalgamation.
“I absolutely refute that,” Cr Murray said.
“I believe that’s almost political mischief for Mr Windsor to suggest that and absolutely don’t agree with it.”
