Mr Perry, a 20-year-old apprentice, said he wanted to be part of a new council which had a real chance to help Wellington develop and plans to stand in the Wellington ward.

He was a vocal supporter of amalgamation and said his views had already been vindicated by the first 12 months of the merger.

“People are saying that Wellington is finally starting to see progress,” he said.

“There is a real optimism in the air now that Wellington has been able to crack into the expertise of Dubbo.”

Mr Perry said he wanted to be part of a council that looked positively on Wellington and sought to improve it.

“It will certainly take a lot of effort and time to get Wellington back on track – so it’s important to elect councillors who are looking to the future of Wellington by way of more opportunity and growth,” he said.

He was critical of the former Wellington council, saying they had let the community down by not securing more funding and allowing buildings and roads to fall into disrepair.

“It’s about advocating for your community – squeezing higher levels of government for more opportunity and funding and delivering key services for the community - both of which the previous Wellington leadership failed miserably at doing,” he said.

“We need people with lot of positive enthusiasm who are ready and willing to tackle the job.”

Mr Perry said he would announce in coming months how he would help attract new business and new jobs to Wellington.