OPPOSITION local government spokesman Chris Hartcher says he will seek an urgent inquiry into the administration of Burwood Council when State Parliament resumes later this month.
The State Liberal MP labelled the Inner West council the "worst in western Sydney" and accused it of abandoning the people of Burwood to the "tender mercy" of Planning Minister Frank Sartor.
In July last year Mr Sartor asked an independent panel to decide planning decisions on projects worth $40 million or more in Burwood.
"Residents of Burwood might just as well have not had a council in recent years given that the existing council has been unable or unwilling to protect them against overdevelopment," Mr Hartcher said.
Mayor John Faker said he would welcome any inquiry because "we have nothing to hide".
He said the planning panel consisted of two expert planners and an architect, and were responsible for formulating Burwood's local environment plan.
"They have experience in planning policy and codes," he said.
"We councillors are not planning experts.
"We wanted to make sure we got planning experts on board."
The mayor said he was interested in protecting Burwood's residential areas.
"I wanted to ensure that any new rezoning occurring in next 20 to 30 years was formulated by professionals and that those developments would be restricted to the town centre next to railway lines," he said.
Mr Hartcher also criticised Cr Faker for absenting himself from a vote on planning decisions 17 times since 2004, because it affected someone related to him.
"Burwood Council cannot run effectively when Labor councillors continually defer council decisions because no quorum can be obtained because the Labor mayor and mates have to remove themselves," Mr Hartcher said after a visit to Burwood to support Liberal candidate John Sidoti on Tuesday.
However, Cr Faker said there had only been one time when the council could not obtain a quorum and he had followed "legally correct procedure" when he absented himself from the chamber.
"How can Chris Hartcher bag me for following the law?" he said.
He said Mr Hartcher should focus on state issues.
"This is all about Chris Hartcher trying to help the Liberal candidate who is not a true local," he said.
