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Local Government Act 2052

The Local Government Act is an act to reform the county government of New England, with the creation of new counties and the restructure of others. The law was passed by the House of Assembly in May 2052 and become law one month later.

The plan is set to go forward to a referendum in the counties of Greater Armidale and Macquarie in August 2052, and if passed will see both counties reformed into three tiers of governance: national, county and borough. The reform will also include the creation at least one, but possibly two new counties around Greater Armidale.

• Background
• Details
  • Part One
  • Part Two
  • Part Three
  • Part Four
  • Part Five
  • Part Six
• Proposed Boroughs
  • Greater Armidale
  • Port Macquarie
• Maps

Background

Since 2012, New England has been ruled by two tiers of government, national and county. The demarcation of powers between the tiers was defined in article five of the constitution, which defines the thirteen powers under which the counties may enact by-laws. The parliament may also devolve onto the counties any function or power it see fit to delegate.

In 2012, New England consisted of seventeen counties, all with equal powers and roles. The area and population of the counties varied greatly, with Fitzroyshire containing 90,000 people, while Parkes had just 2,500. By 2015 it was becoming apparent that reform to the counties would be required. The parliament passed the Counties Reform Act, which abolished the six counties of Armidale, Barraba, Bellingen, Bingara, Dumaresqshire and Nambucca. The act also merged the counties of Clarence Valley and Maclean into a new County of Clarence.

The new counties had the same powers as their predecessors, except for Greater Armidale which was granted enhanced powers over transport and planning, and was also given a strategic role in the operation of emergency services across the county. This situation remained has remained since 2016, with the only change being the size of the county councils, were were incresed from ten to twelve in 2040, with Greater Armidale being increased from twelve to eighteen.

The Howlett government of 2040-44 was the first to investigate reforms to the larger counties. In 2041, the government formed a inquriy, which became known as the Royal Commission into County Goverance in the Urban Centres of New England. The commission recommended the creation of a third tier of govewrnment for the counties of Fitzroyshire, Greater Armidale and Macquarie. The commission also recommended the abollition of Urallashire, with the city of Uralla incorporated into Greater Armidale, and the rump forming a new county of Macdonaldshire. The Howlett government agreed to the findings of the commission and took these to the 2044 general election as part of it's manifesto. The plan was supported by the New England Alliance, but verhmantly opposed by the National Party and Democratic Conservative Party, who won the subsquent election in a landside.

In 2052 general election the SDLP again campaigned for local government reform, with the party manifesto committing the party to honouring the findings of the royal commission, plus additional reforms to the counties that encircle Greater Armidale. With the election of the SDLP to government, and with the support of the New England Alliance, a bill was brough before parliament in April 2052 to facilitie the changes that the party had proposed duringt the campaign. Unlike the original plan, the bill excluded adding Uralla to Greater Armidale, but does carry new provisions for reform to Urallashire in the form of a new county of Macdonaldshire. Also added was the creation of new county of Oxleyshire to the east of Greater Armidale. The bill easily passed the House by a margin of 65-37 and become law one month after it's assent on the 3rd May.

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Details

Part One - The Act defines the terms county, metropolitan county and metropolitan borough. Also defined is the composition of the various county and borough council. Counties (including metropolitan counties) will be led by an earl, while metropolitan boroughs will be led by an elected mayor. The Act, subject to final determination by the Local Government Commission, states that the metropolitan counties will have either fourteen (Greater Armidale) or ten (Port Macqaurie) thegns. Each of the metropolitan boroughs will have a mayor and eight burgesses, while the oridnary counties will remain unchanged with an earl and twelve thegns.

Part Two - The creation of the metropolitan counties and boroughs is outlined in part two. Under the law, the existing administrative divsions of Greater Armidale and parts of Macquarie will be completely abolished, and the cities, towns and rural districts will cease to exist. In their place, a new tier of metropolitan boroughs will be created, with Greater Armidale being divided into seven boroughs and Port Macquarie into five. The division of powers between the two tiers is listed on the right.

The exact boundaries of the new metropolitan boroughs is to be determined by a boundary commission, but the boroughs as specified in the Act are listed below. Each borough should consist of about 70,000 people, with geographical features taken into account to ensure the boroughs are easy to manage. The rump of the old county of Macquarie is to be reconstituted as the county of Hastings, and will be centred around Telegraph Point, which will serve as the new county town.

Part Three - A new county located in the Gara and Chandler valleys has been proposed by the Act in response to those communties wishing to separate from Guyrashire. The residents of Hillgrove and Thalgarrah feel that they are isolated from the city of Guyra and are therefore disadvantanged when it comes to the allocation of resources. However, much of the county is part of the Duchy of Chandler is therefore off-limits to urban development, and so continued urban growth to the east out of Armidale is not likely beyond 2060. Despite this, the Act states that a referendum on the matter will be held in August 2052. If the referendum is successful, the county seat would be Thalgarrah.

Part Four - A proposal to create a county of Macdonaldshire is scheduled under part four of the Act. The new county is proposed in the Macdonald valley with parts of Urallashire and Gwydirshire being transferred to a new authority created when the territory beyond the river is transferred to New England (hopefully in 2055). Proponents claim the new county would have a natural synergy for all people living in the Macdonald valley, and with the upgrading of road and rail facilities, the new county could enjoy a significant economic boost. The new county would also provide an administrative buffer between the border and the capital. The county seat would be Bendemeer.

Part Five - The Act also creates a Local Government Commission to determine boundaries of the counties and boroughs, and in the future make recommendations for new counties and boroughs to be created as required. The commission shall convene on an ad hoc basis, as required by the minister, to perform the above functions. The establishment of the commission is to be the first part of the act to come to fruition, and begins operations on the 1st July 2052.

Part Six - A long standing policy of the SDLP has been to move the date for county elections back by two months. The proposal is a contraversial one, and had been opposed by all the other parties until this year when the Alliance declared that they no longer opposed the idea. Under the act, from the 2056 elections, the date of the vote will be moved from August to the first Saturday in June.

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Proposed Boroughs

The Act creates twelve metropolitan boroughs across Greater Armidale and Port Macquarie.

Greater Armidale - There are to be seven boroughs created in Greater Armidale, which will replace the existing city/borough system currently in place. The new boroughs will be Armidale, Dangarsleigh, Dumaresq, Puddledock, Saumarez, Tilbuster & Tiverton.

Port Macquarie - New England's second largest urban area will divided into five boroughs, which shall replace the three cities. The new boroughs will be Laurieton, North Shore, Port Macquarie, Sancrox and Wauchope.

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Maps

Maps of the new counties and boroughs are shown below:

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