Uralla Shire is a local government area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The New England Highway passes through the Shire.
Uralla Shire New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 30°39′S 151°30′E / 30.650°S 151.500°E | ||||||||||||||
Population |
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• Density | 1.8724/km2 (4.850/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Established | 1 January 1948[3] | ||||||||||||||
Area | 3,230 km2 (1,247.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Mayor | Robert Bell (Independent) | ||||||||||||||
Council seat | Uralla[4] | ||||||||||||||
Region | New England | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Northern Tablelands | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | New England | ||||||||||||||
Website | Uralla Shire | ||||||||||||||
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The Shire was established on 1 January 1948 as a result of the amalgamation of the Municipality of Uralla with the surrounding Gostwyck Shire.[3] The mayor of Uralla Shire Council is Cr. Robert Bell.
The towns and villages of Uralla Shire include Uralla, Arding, Bundarra, Yarrowyck, Kingstown, Kentucky, Invergowrie and Wollun.
The Uralla Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics[13] there:
According to the Australian Bureau Statistics[14] during 2003–04, there:
Uralla Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing three councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012 and the makeup of the council is as follows:[15][16][17]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Independent and Unaligned | 9 | |
Total | 9 |
The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is:
Ward | Councillor | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ward A[15] | Bob Crouch | Independent | Deputy Mayor[18] | |
Michael Pearce | Unaligned | Mayor[18] | ||
Mark Dusting | Independent | |||
Ward B[16] | Kevin Ward | Unaligned | ||
Fred Geldof | Unaligned | |||
Daphne Field | Independent | |||
Ward C[17] | Isabell Strutt | Independent | ||
Leanne Cooper | Independent | |||
Karen Dusting | Independent |
At the 2012 local government elections, a referendum was held to directly elect the mayor and reduce the number of wards from three to two, each electing four councillors. The referendum was passed, with 55.96% voting in favour of the resolution.[19] The changes will take place at the next local government elections, due to be held in 2016.
A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Armidale Dumaresq Shire and the Guyra Shire councils merge.[20] An alternative proposal, submitted by the Armidale Dumaresq Council on 1 March 2016, was for an amalgamation of the Armidale Dumaresq, Guyra, Uralla and Walcha councils.[21] The outcome of the independent review is expected by mid–2016.
Media related to Uralla Shire at Wikimedia Commons