But it may be a lost cause as State Regional Development Minister Paul Caica has already gone on the record saying the new Regional Development Australia (RDA) body will be incorporated but its subsidiaries, MRDB and the Riverland Development Corporation (RDC), will not.

Mayor Allan Arbon said Mr Caica had written to council in recent months to say he did not support incorporation of the subsidiary boards but all five councils in MRDB’s region have passed motions asking that it remain an incorporated body.

Murray Bridge council became the latest to pass such a motion on Monday.

“We passed that motion to show support to our board,” Mayor Arbon said.

“The other four councils in our current board have passed similar motions but it’s up to the Minister to decide if they remain incorporated.”

Mayor Arbon admitted it was unlikely the Minister would change his mind but said incorporation was important to MRDB’s standing.

“(Under Regional Development Australia) grants would be channelled through to overarching board and that board will pass it on to other bodies,” he said.

He said incorporation gave the board a sense of worth and security.

Earlier this month, Mr Caica told The Standard MRDB and RDC would lose their incorporated status but he had also made repeated assurances the original boards would retain their shopfronts and local presence.

“(RDA will be) made up of local people from the Riverland and Murraylands region - including people who have been with the existing regional development boards,” he said.

“The new RDA board will determine the best structure to ensure that local interests have a voice.”