Its new report 10 Big Ideas to Grow NSW says a new ``South West Council'' could pave the way for greater local government power and influence.

Turning Sydney's existing 41 councils into 10 larger councils was presented as part of the report's metropolitan strategy.

The report proposes that South West Council encompass Campbelltown, Wollondilly, Camden, Liverpool and the south-west growth centre.

But Campbelltown mayor Aaron Rule is strongly opposed to the idea. He said local government was the closest arm of government to the community and that this strategy if adopted would disconnect people from their council.

``We can't have planning decisions made by a large council, which may not even know where a suburb is,'' he said. ``We have lobby groups such as MACROC [the Macarthur Regional Organisation of Councils] and we gain the support of other councils when we need them.''

Camden mayor Chris Patterson and Wollondilly mayor Col Mitchell are also opposed to the idea.

``We'd have no say whatsoever and I'm dead-set against it because we'd be completely lost,'' Cr Mitchell said.

``They should leave local government to the local government.''

Camden state MP Geoff Corrigan came up with the idea of a merged ``Macarthur Council'' about 10 years ago.

He said he stood firm on having one large council even though an amalgamation could not be forced on local councils.

``I'm not a hypocrite,'' he said. ``I believed in it then and I believe in it now.

``I was the only person in the entire area who believed that this would work and I still think that one council in Macarthur would be beneficial to people because it would share its `greaters'.

``Wollondilly has a greater, Camden has a greater and Campbelltown has a greater.

``Why not just have one big greater?''

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