Wollongong residents appear to be divided over the merits of a merger with Shellharbour council, with a council poll delivering less than resounding results either way.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Wollongong City Council funded poll, conducted last week by IRIS Research, showed 44.5 per cent of people agreed with the state government’s proposal to merge Wollongong with Shellharbour council while 55.5 per cent did not agree.
These results come in stark contrast to a similar poll in Kiama, where 92 per cent of surveyed residents rejected the idea of a forced merger with Shoalhaven council.
The Wollongong poll also showed most Wollongong residents (77.5 per cent) were aware of the merger, while only 49.7 per cent said the merger proposal was an important issue.
More than half the residents surveyed (54.3 per cent) did not have strong views on whether the merger would benefit their community, but more than half (50.7 per cent) believed local elected representation was “very important”.
Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the results would provide councillors with “valuable information about the community’s thoughts on this merger proposal”.
“The full report will be tabled at the council meeting on Monday night, and will form an integral part of discussions as we work towards a council resolution on the state government’s merger proposal,” he said.
Councillors were due to debate mergers on Monday.
