A Victorian MP says if he is successful in an upcoming election, he will put the performance of the state’s local governments under close scrutiny.

Liberal MP Simon Ramsay says he will have under-performing councils in his sights if he wins in the Western Victoria electorate.

A local government inquiry would be set up to seek out areas for reform, addressing reportedly widespread ratepayer frustration.

“Sure, there are councils that are by and large working well but there are others where a large number of ratepayers want to see change. I don’t want to single any one particular council out. It’s just a common theme I’ve come across,” Mr Ramsay says.

“There’s a view widely held by ratepayers across Victoria that their local councils aren’t performing as they should be.”

Mr Ramsay has remained non-specific on the definition of good council performance, but that could be a job for the proposed inquiry.

The last big alteration to Victoria’s local governments was in 1994, when the state government under Jeff Kennett forced the amalgamation of several small councils, and installed commissioners in the place of councillors for a two-year adjustment period.

A lesser local government reform from the later Baillieu government saw the introduction of a direct mayoral vote in the city of Geelong. That facility has just been used to elect former paparazzo Darryn Lyons to the Mayor’s office.

“I’m not suggesting we follow what Jeff [Kennett] did back in the ’90s. This time it’s a different scenario,” Mr Ramsay pointed out.

“The problems local government faces now are different and if re-elected, we as a state government need to have a hard look at whether ratepayers are getting value for money. If they aren’t, reform is needed and ratepayers deserve it.”

“Ratepayers see their rates rise year after year but many can’t see value for money in the services they get in return,” he said.