Alderman Arnold Hatch said that the decision to reduce the current 26 to 11 was the wrong one, and added: "Three of the four parties - UUP, SDLP and DUP - wanted 15, to coincide with the Westminster and NI Assembly constituency boundaries, and that would have made common sense - NILGA also wanted 15.
"Sinn Fein, for some reason or other, wanted seven, so they and DUP met in the middle, without regard for anyone else's opinions.
"It's a fact of life that they're brothers in politics now, despite the promises of DUP before the 2005 elections. They have turned turtle."
The 11 councils decision means that Craigavon Borough Council will be teamed up with Banbridge District and Armagh City, serving a total population of 176,000, the biggest population of any of the proposed councils outside Belfast.
The powers will be peripheral, with councils spending just eight per cent of the public service budget, compared with the current five per cent.
As well as the present powers like recreation, refuse collection and cemeteries, they will be given others like communal planning and some local housing responsibilities.
"That is a major disappointment," said Alderman Hatch. "We should have been given local roads, as well as youth and library services. Councils have proven they are capable of more, and more powers should have been handed over."
The three local councils will also be vying for the administrative headquarters to be sited in their particular area, and already Craigavon has suggested that the "superb Civic Centre with its lakeside location" is the obvious choice.
Said Alderman Hatch: "All three centres have excellent buildings which can be used for various departments, but I believe that Craigavon is the only one that is big enough for an HQ, and we will be making that claim. We are also central to the three council areas."
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein and DUP have described the 11 councils as "a fair compromise".
John O'Dowd (SF) said: "There has been co-operation all round. With the size of the Six Counties, we believed that seven councils were adequate, but we can live with 11."
He added: "We welcome the equality and governance legislation for the future - it is enshrined in the new councils and they will therefore work well. After the consultation, we reached a compromise."
However, Ignatius Fox (SDLP) said: "The decision by Minister Arlene Foster to reduce the number of councils from 26 to 11 was obviously a deal done between Sinn Fein and the DUP - this will remove local government from the people into a super council scenario.
"My preferred option would have been 15 which would have kept local councillors as close to the people as possible and would have allowed for greater contact on local issues.
"It is extremely doubtful that the reduction from 26 to 11 will make for any greater efficiencies to ensure that local services are delivered in a cost effective and efficient manner."
The first elections to the new councils will be in 2011.