Speaking in Wagga on Monday as part of the NSW parliamentary inquiry into local government, Mr Toole said while there was no plan to sack all NSW councils to fast-track amalgamations, he couldn’t rule out some would be sacked.

“There are no plans to dismiss all councils in NSW,” Mr Toole said. “What we are saying is we are committed to local government reform.”

Mr Toole foisted responsibility of the final decision onto the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), which will determine what councils meet the Fit for the Future criteria.

The state government will receive a report of the tribunal’s findings in October, but action beyond that remains unclear. “We’re waiting on a process,” Mr Toole said. 

“They (IPART) will be the ones to (determine) what councils are fit or unfit.”

Mr Toole’s visit provided “no comfort whatsoever” to Wagga City councillor Kevin Poynter, who said the proposed merger with Lockhart Shire Council would increase Wagga’s operational costs and quash Lockhart’s autonomy.

But Mr Toole maintains the $1 billion Fit for the Future reforms are inevitable because half of NSW councils will be in a weak or very weak position in three years, with the sector losing about $1 million a day.

Cr Poynter demanded Mr Toole listen to the community “rather than raring through his own political agenda”.

“There is no evidence that larger councils are more efficient or charge lower rates,” he said. “I support local government being truly local.”