Special reports by Stephen Pollock

Liberal revolts

A Liberal party branch president has condemned the Barnett government over forced council mergers, saying it “lied to the voters of Mt Lawley and Inglewood”.
Former Stirling city councillor Paul Collins, who’d sought preselection as a state election candidate, says the merger will be “an absolute disaster for Mt Lawley and Perth heritage in general”.
Under the Barnett Merger the vast majority of Mt Lawley and all of Inglewood will be gobbled up by a Bayswater-Bassendean super-council.
“The Barnett government lied to the voters of Mt Lawley and Inglewood on forced amalgamations and is now putting at risk the area’s unique heritage character and low density zonings,” Mr Collins fumed.
Mount Lawley Liberal MP Michael Sutherland however is merely expressing “disappointment” and is steering clear of more overt criticism.
“I asked the local government minister for the whole of Mt Lawley to be put into Stirling,” he says.
“ It is now in three councils Bayswater, Stirling and Perth. My main concern is that the heritage of Mt Lawley is preserved.”
Hip to be square
Stirling mayor David Boothman has hit back at Alannah MacTiernan’s claim his city is a daggy ‘70s disco no-one wants to go to.
Under the Barnett Merger, swathes of Mt Hawthorn and North Perth are to become part of Stirling.
The Vincent mayor wanted all her doomed municipality sucked into a bigger Perth, not divvied up into a “sprawling urban shire”.
“New residents from Vincent will enjoy more services and pay lower rates,” Cr Boothman says. “In the customer satisfaction surveys, Stirling has always appeared at the higher end of the scale.
“So, to say nobody wants to live here is absolute piffle.”
In the 2013/14 budget, Vincent rates went up 3.92 per cent and Stirling’s 3.495.

Pool whammy for Stirling

Stirling ratepayers could face a rates hike under forced council mergers, with the new boundaries resulting in an expected $20 million loss in rates.
Mayor David Boothman says the Barnett Merger could also derail several key projects, including the long-awaited Scarborough Beach redevelopment. The changes see Stirling swallow half of Vincent but lose the vast majority of Mt Lawley, all of Inglewood and parts of Dianella.
“The changes could be in the order of a $20 million loss in rates,” Cr Boothman says. “We will now need to reassess all projects planned such as the redevelopment of Scarborough Beach where the city was matching the $30 million committed by the state’s contribution. We are seriously concerned we will be losing what is a debt-free aquatic facility in the Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre and, in its place, inherit Beatty Park which has a $15 million debt attached.
“Realistically, we will need to revise our 10-year financial plan and reprioritise.”