If elected, Labor would set the funding aside to offset costs to the Australian Electoral Commission to run plebiscites in shires wishing to gauge community sentiment toward amalgamations.

In a statement issued yesterday, Labor committed funding to “councils that have been spared amalgamation who would be able to request a plebiscite to affirm community support, sending a clear message to the Liberals to keep their hands off the council”.

Walcha Shire Council was one council spared from a merger and mayor Janelle Archdale said a plebiscite would assure the community’s position.

“It is something Walcha would consider doing,” Cr Archdale said.

“It would give a definite position on where the community stood.”

The Walcha mayor said a ballot would give all sides an equal opportunity in the discussion.

“There could be members of the community who believe we should merge, and this would give them a platform to voice that,” she said.

New England Labor candidate David Ewings said the “cost to democracy was not worth it when it came to mergers”.

“I don’t think there’s much evidence that show mergers pay much dividends at all,” Mr Ewings said.

The federal candidate said a plebiscite could be useful to councils who avoided a merger.

“They can reaffirm they don’t want to merge and that could be a powerful tool if something comes up in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, court proceedings initiated by Walcha with Oberon and Cabonne councils in the Land and Environment court came to a close last week.

Walcha withdrew from the case shortly after it was announced it had avoided a merger, but Cr Archdale said the community was keeping an eye an the outcome.

“We don’t regret taking it to court. We didn’t want to leave any stone unturned,” she said.

“If it comes out in favour of the councils, it would lead to further implications across the state.”