It was stupid to remove it in the first place. Dubbo has a massive brand value.

That decision was made by the NSW Government as part of its ideologically-driven and unpopular plan to force councils to merge in a process which could hardly be described as democratic and paid only lip service to the term public consultation.

The name Western Plains Regional Council was forced on Dubbo – along with the entire Wellington Shire.

The Dubbo and Wellington councils were terminated and their elected councillors unceremoniously dumped.

Both names were excluded from the replacement council, led by an unelected administrator appointed by and answerable to the government, not the ratepayers.

It is worth remembering Dubbo was found to be financially fit for the future. Wellington was not, but argued the government had set unrealistic and unfair benchmarks.

No surprise in that. The government wanted mergers. It got them.

Wellington was always worried it would lose its identity in a merger. Wellington who?

It could take up to eight weeks before Dubbo’s name is back in fashion. The change has to be approved by the government.

Local business organisations deserve credit for lobbying and persuading the administrator and government to revive an invaluable brand.

The forced merger team of Premier Mike Baird, Dubbo MP and Deputy Premier Troy Grant and Local Government Minister Paul Toole should explain why it was dropped in the first place.

But, don’t hold your breath.

While welcome, the name change comes when ratepayers in most NSW local government areas are getting ready to vote in the 2016 council elections.

Dubbo and Wellington residents are denied that basic right until 2017 while the government and unelected bureaucrats run the two centres.

A cynic might say the name change is just a crumb from the democratic banquet.

Welcome back Dubbo – a rose by any other name, which along with other merged centres, may still yield thorns for the Coalition.