The Struggle for Power
Within this section
Municipal Beginnings | In Search of a Town Hall | The Struggle for Power | Boundaries and Elections | What Council Does, or 'Vanishing Functions' | Further Reading
Municipalities in NSW are established by an Act of the State government, which determines their powers and funding. For much of its existence, Sydney City Council has competed with the government for control of the city of Sydney.
The Council of 1842 had insufficient funds to provide adequate services and, despite a new Corporation Act in 1850, was abolished by the government in October 1853. The city was administered for the next four years by three Commissioners who were able to borrow more money but also failed to deliver water and sewerage services. One of the first acts of the new NSW Legislative Assembly in 1856 was to restore the Council.
Inadequate funding remained a problem and even though the Corporation Act of 1879 gave Council more financial strength, it was constantly criticised for failing to solve all of Sydney’s urban problems. The sacking of the first Council set a precedent which was repeated in 1928-30, 1967-69, and 1987-88 when, amidst allegations of incompetence and corruption, Council was dismissed by the State government and the city was administered by unelected commissioners.
