CABONNE residents vehemently opposed to a proposed merger with Orange will still get their day in court after the state government On Thursday took the next step in its forced amalgamations plan.
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While Premier Mike Baird confirmed the immediate forced merger of Wellington and Dubbo councils - and 18 more - the proposed amalgamations of Blayney, Cabonne and Orange, along with Oberon and Bathurst, remain in limbo pending a Land and Environment Court action currently under way.
But Local Government Minister Paul Toole made it clear that he intends to push on with both of those mergers, confirming his in principle support for them to go ahead.
None of that should have surprised anyone who has taken an interest in this process, but the political fallout has some way to go yet.
Forced council mergers have historically been difficult for governments and have put the politicians pushing for them squarely in the electorate’s sights.
Given the electoral pain the issue has caused the government, it would have been better to get all the mergers done at once.
As it stands, it seems certain that when the current round of amalgamations is finally completed it will be just a matter of time before the next round commences.
And that is just prolonging the pain for all concerned.
Settle in and watch the drama unfold.