Amid rowdy scenes at Waverley Council, the mayor Sally Betts used her casting vote to reverse a decision to hold a plebiscite on a merger with Randwick and Woollahra councils but dropped a bid to block attempts by Labor and independent councillors to get more information on the controversial $38 million Bondi Pavilion upgrade.

Several members of the public began filming as councillors raised their voices, threatened to walk out and the mayor Sally Betts warned they could face penalties if they staged a boycott.

Waverley mayor Sally Betts claims the pavilion can become a world class tourist facility. Credit:Sarah Keayes

At one point she called an adjournment asking councillors and the public gallery to calm down.

The extraordinary meeting effectively reversed most of the decisions of a previous marathon meeting, when one Liberal councillor was absent.