Her successor, mayor Kevin Mack, has succeeded in limiting the attendees to the three voting delegates — mayor, deputy mayor and one other councillor.

But the change to council policy won’t come into effect until after this year’s conference, starting on Sunday at Coffs Harbour.

The change, on a vote of 7-1 by the council’s finance and administration committee, won’t be ratified until the next council meeting on October 27.

Albury was represented by six councillors last year at a cost of $10,544 after the bill topped $8000 for five councillors the previous year.

Cr Glachan said Local Government NSW was the council’s peak body and all councillors who wished to attend should.

“Councillors don’t attend to just be a voting delegate,” she said.

“They also go to broaden their knowledge on issues pertaining to local government in NSW.

“To limit attendance to three nominations in reality is effectively barring councillors attending for their own development.

“If councillors can’t justify their attendance at this conference they should not attend.”

Four councillors — Cr Mack, deputy mayor Ross Jackson, Cr Graham Docksey and Cr Glachan — will be in Coffs Harbour.

Cr Mack said the council needed to ensure value for money in attending.

“It is not cheap to get airfares to Coffs Harbour and they are three days I believe will only be to the benefit of the people as delegates,” he said.

“As leaders in the community there is also a requirement on us to see where the best benefit is for ratepayers.

“I don’t think that is carte blanche approval for councillors to attend this particular conference.”

Cr Mack was backed by former deputy mayor Henk van de Ven, Cr Jackson and Cr Daryl Betteridge.

Cr van de Ven said some previous conferences had degenerated into farcical scenes.

“I’ve been embarrassed sometimes when we have paid for five or six delegates to be there and for party political reasons or the lack of quorum there is unfinished business,” he said.

Cr Betteridge warned against “over representation”.

“I’ve attended a number of them and been appalled at the behaviour of many of the councillors there,” he said.