About 25 farmers, orchardists and residents announced their demands in Robertson Park on Tuesday.

It comes just days after the Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that the State government had abandoned a forced merger between Orange, Cabonne and Blayney councils.

Ratepayer and orchardist Guy Gaeta said the residents made up about 20 per cent of the Cabonne council area and provided 38 per cent of the council’s rates, but received few services from the Molong-based council.

“We get nothing, it’s a joke,” he said.

“If they can’t look after us why have us?”

Mr Gaeta said the Cabonne ratepayers were paying close to twice the rates of neighbouring Orange rural ratepayers yet they did not get garbage collected and had poor roads.

“The rural residents want to be able to vote and contribute to their local community of interest, which is Orange City rather than Molong, which has no real connections with eastern Cabonne residents.

“These eastern Cabonne ratepayers are subsidising the Cabonne villages and yet are being ignored when it comes to services in the east of the shire, including road maintenance.

“Some of the residents have had to fill in their own dirt road potholes.”

The group will meet Cabonne mayor Ian Gosper on Friday to state its case.

It has asked Cabonne council to pass a motion to allow the change and failing that plan to take the case to the State government to ask the local government minister launch an inquiry.

The residents first sought the change in 2011 but their efforts were stalled by the now-abandoned merger plan.

Another ratepayer and orchardist Fiona Hall said they did not use facilities in Molong, instead went to Orange.

“It does make common sense,” she said.

“I was disappointed the amalgamation didn’t go through.”

Mrs Hall said Cabonne council did not have the resources to expand agri-tourism around Mount Canobolas and Lake Canobolas.

Wayne and Lynette Culverson run three fine wool and prime lamb properties in the region.

Mrs Culverson said they were closer to Orange than Molong.

“We get no services in Cabonne. We shop and do everything in Orange.”

Mr Culverson said local roads urgently needed upgrading as they had “become dangerous.”

Allen Hawke runs a prime lamb farm in Byng and was disappointed the council merger was defeated.

“It was a brilliant PR exercise aided and abetted by those Hadleys and Joneses [radio commentators] who gave it a terrific run.”

NSW Farmers Orange branch chair Bruce Reynolds said they supported the residents as higher rates impacted farmers’ businesses.

Cabonne Council mayor Ian Gosper has called an urgent meeting with disgruntled eastern Cabonne ratepayers to hear their claims.

Cr Gosper said council first learned this week of the push from ratepayers to have the boundary readjusted to allow them to join Orange City Council.

He said he would meet with the group at the council chamber in Molong on Friday.

However, Cr Gosper said it was “premature” for council to make a comment about the proposal as they were still technically in a merger situation.

“We feel that is a bit premature as we have no official announcement or advice from the Minister for Local Government or the Office of Local Government to state that we are no longer in a merger [with Orange and Blayney councils].”

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced last Tuesday the merger would not go ahead.

At the time Cr Gosper said the decision vindicated the legal action the council had taken.

“Our communities indicated they are worried about the lack of rural or small town representation an amalgamation with a city council may deliver,” he said.

Orange City Council mayor John Davis said the council was interested in the new push for boundary changes.

“Given where we have been and that we have finished up with no mergers I am not surprised boundary changes are on the table,” he said.

“The people seeking changes are passionate about it and are making a strong case.

“We are obviously interested in where it is heading.”

Cr Davis said there was still interest in mergers.

“In a lot of comments I hear there is surprise mergers are not proceeding and I think because of that the push for boundary adjustments is the silent majority starting to find a voice.

“That’s democracy,” he said.

A group that successfully fought the forced amalgamations said the latest push for boundary changes by ratepayers showed councils needed to work together to solve the issues.

Marj Bollinger, spokesperson for Cabonne Amalgamation No Thank You, said forced amalgamations and holding government inquiries to find solutions to local disputes were expensive and frustrating if ratepayers did not get a say.

“If we could get Orange, Blayney and Cabonne to get together in a cohesive way it would be much better.”

She said the border adjustment proposal would likely be discussed at the group’s next meeting on Wednesday night.

Mrs Bollinger said they needed to look at the costs and benefits.