NANNUP Shire Council is fighting off an attempt by the Shire of Busselton to swallow it up, creating one super-sized shire in which Nannup, Capel, Busselton and Augusta-Margaret River once stood.

The shire presidents of the three shires involved have voiced their opposition to any amalgamation with Busselton.

Busselton shire president Wes Hartley put forward a motion at last week’s council meeting, asking the council to invite the Local Government Advisory Board to meet with the Busselton shire and discuss structural reform tomorrow.

He also proposed to invite neighbouring shires to the discussions.

Cr Hartley said it would be unrealistic not to consider the possibility that ‘greater economies of scale’ could be offered through a larger regional model.

“There are a lot of people coming from Capel and Nannup to use Busselton services,” he said.

Shire of Nannup president Barbara Dunnet said her shire was in the initial stages of considering what options were available in terms of structural reform.

“Around nine years ago we reviewed our operations and it didn’t show that we would increase financial sustainability by amalgamating at that time,” she said.

“Even if we end up with regional councils, there will still be items that need purchasing and funding, so where are the extra dollars going to come from?

“We would certainly be open to attending a forum as proposed by the Shire of Busselton, from the point of view we could ask questions about things we are still unsure about.

“We want to work out a way forward in terms of local government structures.”

Cr Dunnet said the Nannup Shire Council had also been invited to have discussions with the Shire of Manjimup.

Shire of Augusta-Margaret River president Steve Harrison said they were always looking to work cooperatively with neighbouring shires.

“However if discussions are merely driven by a desire to redraw lines on a map, we would not be interested,” he said.

“We are already involved with neighbouring shires on joint projects with a focus on tourism and economic development.

“It’s important to note the Systematic Sustainability Study, conducted in WA and released this year, was focused on increasing efficiency and suggested regional councils.

“This would be a sensible approach in regions with a high degree of uniformity and could lead to amalgamation.

“The South West has great diversity among its fast-growing shires.”

Shire of Capel president Murray Scott said the Capel shire had fought off other shires that wanted to amalgamate for a long time.

“We are one of the fastest-growing local governments in Australia and are independently sustainable,” Cr Scott said.

“If a meeting arises out of Cr Hartley’s motion, we will attend so we can defend our position.

“I’ve said to ratepayers I’ll fight to the end to keep our shire as it is, which an overwhelming majority want.

“I’m not quite sure where Cr Hartley is coming from with this motion.”

The Systemic Sustainability Study recommended voluntary amalgamations, saying a significant concern was that forced amalgamation brought about a loss of identity as smaller populations were submerged within larger ones.

“Further, the social capital built up by successive generations of councillors and dedicated officers is destroyed through forced amalgamations,” the study stated.

“The Regional Model provides the means to improve the ability of local government to deliver important services while also maintaining a strong connection with the local community.

“It provides the means to ensure local service delivery mechanisms remain in place and has concern for the relationship between the local government and the community at its heart.”