COCKBURN council has claimed Fremantle could cancel more than $40 million in planned community facilities after amalgamation.

Mayor Logan Howlett says his council has legal advice suggesting most of the funds from its developer contribution scheme will go to Melville, leaving Freo too poor to fund up to 12 proposed facilities, including a $17m seniors centre in Spearwood and the $10m Coogee Golf Complex.

“The options available to the City of Fremantle would be: reduce the size of facilities, increase rates to pay for them, or cancel the planned facilities,” Mr Howlett said.

But Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt disputes this, saying his advice (which isn’t from the council’s lawyers) is that the developer contribution scheme will operate as normal after mergers.

He points to the Cockburn Coast as a good source of cash, saying it’s about to get more than 10,000 people in a carve-up set to reap a council $20000 per lot.