Community group under suspension threat

The Withers Action Group could be suspended from a council committee which is tasked with improving the troubled suburb.

A late agenda item to tonight’s Bunbury City Council meeting has revealed concerns with governance and internal operations in the group.

Chief executive officer Andrew Brien has recommended the council suspend the group from the Withers Advisory Committee until it has complied with a number of demands.

These include providing the council with an audited statement of its accounts, adopting a code of conduct for members and visitors and an assurance their office bearers can run the group “without undue interference from non-members”.

However, the identity of the convenor of the group is in dispute following a series of heated meetings.

Past convenor Ken Warnes said there had been “bun fights” and the group would meet on August 27 for an election to resolve the dispute.

Mr Warnes confirmed the Department of Commerce had written to the group asking it to provide assurances it was complying with the rules and regulations of being an incorporated body.

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