Vincent’s hopes of being incorporated wholly into Perth are looking shaky, with the capital city council said to be reluctant to agree to the plan.

Without PCC support for a holus bolus takeover the premier’s preferred option—to split Vincent between Perth and Stirling—is back in the frame as the most likely outcome. Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi and her councillors are publicly saying nothing, but the smoke signals coming out of Council House are clear—Vincent can’t count on its big neighbour’s support.

Vincent councillor Matt Buckels is furious, saying Perth must take all of Vincent if it is serious about being a real capital city.

“Earth to City of Perth… get with the program—real cities need real people,” he says in a letter in today’s Voice, mocking that the lord mayor needs just 2500 votes to be elected. “The PCC has the electoral clout of centre management at the Dog Swamp shopping centre,” he notes, with a message to Perth electors.

“My message to Perth ratepayers: Vote for councillors who want to lead a real city and not just enjoy the gravy train.”

Cr Buckels believes “self-interest” by serving councillors might be behind the reported reluctance to embrace Vincent, with incumbent councillors fearing for their futures.

If Perth merges with Vincent and the new bigger council elects eight councillors plus the lord mayor, residents of what is now Vincent will have significant voting power, and be able to command half or more of the council. Cr Buckels describes the premier’s preferred split-plan as madness.

“Whichever genius decided Beaufort Street would benefit from having not one, not two, but three local governments in charge, well, they deserve an ‘idiot of the year’ medal and to be put on paper clip-sorting duty for a month, if that’s not beyond them,” he says.