A spokesperson for Local Government Minister Paul Toole has refused to give away much detail about the decisions behind the amalgamation of Dubbo and Wellington councils.
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On Thursday May 12, Dubbo City Council and Wellington Council ceased to exist, replaced with a merged Western Plains Regional Council.
The 17 councillors and two mayors in the two local government areas were informed of the decision during the public announcement.
When asked why they were not told sooner Mr Toole's spokesperson said: "contact was made with each affected mayor, either by email or phone, to ensure they were informed of the change in a timely way."
As for the swift sacking of the councillors without recognition of their work, the spokesperson said they had "the opportunity to continue to serve their community and provide effective representation".
"Administrators will be forming Local Representation Committees and Implementation Advisory Groups shortly. Councillors on these committees will continue to be paid at their current rate," the spokesperson said.
"Some administrators are holding special local ceremonies to recognise the contribution of councillors to the community. The minister encourages all administrators to consider this."
When questioned over the immediacy of the proclamation, rather than announcing for a future date to allow the councils to prepare for the change, the spokesperson said the formation followed the delegates examination of the proposal, the review of the delegates report by the Boundaries Commission and the minister's consideration.
"The NSW government's decision to create Western Plains Regional Council followed four years of extensive consultation with communities and councils, as well as independent research and analysis, which found a compelling case to reform and improve local government across the region," the spokesperson said.
Following strong criticism about the 'Western Plains Regional Council' name, the spokesperson was also asked how it was chosen and if it could be changed.
"New councils have been named based on input through the council boundary review process and based on the characteristics of each area," they said.
"Council names can be easily changed, as happened in a number of cases following council mergers in 2004. Councils may apply to the NSW Government to change the council name."
