Donnybrook-Balingup council aims to foster relationships with neighbours

Donnybrook-Balingup shire councillors voted to join the Warren-Blackwood Alliance of Councils partnership last week.

Shire president Brian Piesse said the decision was made largely around the need to foster relationships with neighbouring councils as development continued around Greenbushes.

“It is important that we have a strong relationship with the council’s in that partnership,” he said.

The Donnybrook-Balingup Shire Council joins the Manjimup, Bridgetown-Greenbushes and Nannup councils in the alliance. The Boyup Brook council has also been extended an invite to join.

Donnybrook-Balingup shire chief executive officer Ben Rose the council joined the alliance with a focus on economic development through tourism.

“It will allow us to look at join initiatives as local governments,” he said.

“That might be resource sharing or running projects or within the continued expansion of tourism trails.”

He said the challenge for the council was managing different priorities.

“Half of it looks west towards Bunbury, Dardanup and Capel in the Preston Valley,” he said.

“The other half faces inland within the Blackwood Valley.

“The tourism boundaries essentially split the shire in half.”

The council continues to be part of the Bunbury Geographe Economic Alliance.