SW council queries alliance operations

A prominent Bunbury lobby group could face a shake-up of its direction and priorities as its members question whether it is effective.

Bunbury City Council will this week vote to decide if it should continue to fund its $22,050 annual fee to be a member of the Bunbury Wellington Economic Alliance.

The alliance lobbies and advocates on behalf of its members, which include six local governments and major South West companies.

During Tuesday night's briefing session, chief executive officer Andrew Brien said the other local governments wanted to review the alliance's strategic direction.

Mayor Gary Brennan said it was important the council regularly reviewed its membership of groups.

About $200,000 a year is raised through memberships and this money is mostly used to employ chief executive officer Matt Granger and one part-time employee.

Mr Granger said the alliance was accountable to its members which were represented on its board of management.

"By being part of BWEA, local governments are leveraging the resources of a range of private sector interests," he said.

"BWEA works closely with agencies like the South West Development Commission, but we have greater freedom to robustly engage with State and Federal governments as required.

"Our latest work in relation to promoting funding for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road is a case in point.

"The input from our local government members is very much welcomed and crucial for our strategic positioning."

The review comes as Mr Granger has been vocal in his criticism of the State Government over the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.

During the council briefing session, Cr Betty McCleary asked whether it was "worth" being a member of the alliance while Cr Judy Jones questioned if it was different from the South West Development Commission.

In response, Deputy Mayor Brendan Kelly - the council's representative on the board of the alliance - said the two organisations' operations overlapped but the alliance could approach issues from "a different angle".

BHP Billiton, Premier Coal and Cristal are premium partners of the alliance and other industry members include Iluka, Alcoa and Western Power.