Under the proposed mergers, Dubbo and Wellington councils will combine, as will Bathurst and Oberon, as well as Cabonne, Orange and Blayney.

Narromine, Gilgandra, Warrumbungle and Mid-Western Regional councils will all stand alone.

Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson said the general reaction to the news had been disappointment and disbelief.

"We had no idea that that was going to happen. We've been told consistently that we can stay stand alone if we're fit for the future, and we are."

Cr Dickerson and Wellington mayor Anne Jones have said they will work together to get the best possible result for the community.

Wellington Council did the best they could, Cr Jones said.

"We provided an improvement plan to show we were viable and that we could stand alone and it appears the state government had a different agenda," she said.

Meanwhile, Narromine mayor Bill McAnally said it was a great Christmas present to find out they had been recommended to stand alone.

"We've done an exceptional job. I take my hat off to the community. I believe it's the feedback from the community that got us over the line in the end," Cr McAnally said.

"It's been a long road and hard road but I've always been confident."

Nyngan mayor Ray Donald was appreciative of the hard work of council staff.

"We're very relieved [and] thankful our good record has shown through."

Warrumbungle mayor Peter Shinton should have been happy to hear his council will be standing alone, however Cr Shinton was unaware of the news on Friday morning.

Cr Shinton was working the land when the announcement was made, making the most of a recent inch of rain in the area.

Premier Mike Baird said through the Stronger Communities Fund, every new council established would be provided with up to $15 million to invest in community infrastructure.

The public consultation process will start in January after detailed proposals are made available.