BLACKTOWN CITY COUNCIL has fallen to the Liberal Party in a knife-edge result that has embarrassed the Labor leader John Robertson, the state MP for the area.

The fall of Blacktown is another in a string of working-class areas in outer Sydney that swung away from Labor to the Liberals at last Saturday’s elections.

They include Liverpool, Auburn, Bankstown, Campbelltown and Parramatta.

In Blacktown, the swing was 10 per cent but it was the victory of independent Russ Dickens over Labor-endorsed independent Kathie Collins that will take the council out of Labor hands for the first time since 1989.

The NSW Electoral Commission confirmed the result on Friday, with Dr Dickens, a former mayor, prevailing by 868 votes.

Former Liberal councillor Nick Tyrrell said the area had rejected Labor. ”This has got to be an embarrassment for Robbo. In his own backyard, people are still throwing rocks at the ALP,” he said.

The new Liberal mayor is likely to be Jess Diaz, a migration lawyer whose son Jayme narrowly lost the seat of Greenway at the last federal election.

Labor Party assistant general secretary Jamie Clements said that there was no shame in the result for Mr Robertson, whose area overlays wards four and five, where the Labor vote held up. Those wards cover suburbs such as Blacktown, Doonside, Shalvey, Mount Druitt and St Marys.

”There has been significant demographic changes in Riverstone and Toongabbie and that’s where the vote was softer. It was only for the quality of the candidate in Nathan Rees that we hung on to Toongabbie at the state election,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel Smith, the son of the NSW Attorney-General, Greg Smith, has started his political career, with his election to Kogarah City Council. Mr Smith, a registered lobbyist, is expected to seek preselection to get into state Parliament.

”I’ve seen from my father how much work is involved in being a good politician and I am in no rush,” he told The Sun-Herald.

Despite the O’Farrell government’s laws that forced several MPs to relinquish council seats, there remains a strong link between local government and Macquarie Street.

Both electorate staff of the Mulgoa MP Tanya Davies were elected. Mark Holmes was elected in Blacktown and Patrick Conolly, the son of the Riverstone MP Kevin Conolly, at Hawkesbury council.

Steven Issa, son of the Granville MP Tony Issa, will replace him on Parramatta City Council.

Katherine O’Regan, the chief of staff for the Environment Minister, Robyn Parker, was elected as a Liberal on Woollahra council and will quit her role with the minister as per orders from the Premier, Barry O’Farrell.

Bernard Bratusa, media adviser to the Sports Minister, Graham Annesley, was waiting to learn whether he had been elected to Penrith City Council.