THE prospect of a merged super council - comprising Lake Macquarie, Wyong and Gosford - has been raised by Wyong mayor Doug Eaton.
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It's yet another possible scenario to emerge from the state government's push to reduce the number of local councils in NSW through amalgamations.
The state government has proposed council amalgamations between Lake Macquarie and Newcastle, and between Gosford and Wyong.
All four councils want to remain stand-alone entities.
Wyong had earlier indicated it was open to the idea of a merger with Gosford.
But that spirit of co-operation evaporated at the Wyong Council meeting on Wednesday.
It was precipitated in part by an independent consultancy's cost benefit analysis on a possible Gosford-Wyong merger, and its finding that Wyong was financially fit to go it alone having turned a $30 million deficit into a $10 million surplus in five years.
Wyong's change of heart also coincided with revelations that Lake Macquarie and Gosford councils had hatched a back-up plan to absorb Wyong Council if the state government refused their wishes to stand alone.
That plan would see Lake Macquarie council extended south to Sparks Road at Warnervale, and Gosford council extended north to the same point.
Wyong council was not included in discussions about that plan.
Cr Eaton said the Lake Macquarie and Gosford backup plan was news to him, and would also be news to the state government, whose amalgamation preferences were well known.
"Clearly Lake Macquarie and Gosford don't like either of these options and have come up with this third option and are confusing their communities further by stating their real preference is to stand alone," Cr Eaton said.
"At the end of the day, we have no control over the decision - it will be up to the state government.
"Who knows? The state government may decide to merge all three councils together - Lake Macquarie, Gosford and Wyong Shire - into a super council.
"Having the biggest council in the state sitting between the two oldest cities in Australia, being Newcastle and Sydney, would certainly have some clout and give our community a greater voice."
The deadline for submissions to the state government was Tuesday.
