"Robin Hood" to continue to fight Lismore biodiversity plan

A LISMORE ratepayer has accused Lismore City Council of dismissing more than 400 submissions against a rate rise to fund the council’s Biodiversity Strategy.

Neville King in front of the Ratepayers and Community Embassy which he has setup in order to bring attention to the new rates proposed by Lismore Council. . Picture: Marc Stapelberg

A LISMORE ratepayer has accused Lismore City Council of dismissing more than 400 submissions against a rate rise to fund the council's planned Biodiversity Management Strategy.

Neville King, of Richmond Hill, says he will take the matter to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal in a bid to stymie the controversial rate rise.

Mr King claims councillors put too much stock in a phone survey of 209 people conducted by the Hunter Research Foundation, in which 61% of respondents said the rate rise was afford-able.

Contradicting this, Mr King said he presented the council with 416 submissions, 250 of which said the BMS was unaffordable.

"Those people made a submission on good faith to the council and it was rejected," Mr King said.

"They (the council) are actually treating the ratepayers with contempt."

Mr King said he would reopen his "ratepayers' embassy" in Lismore later this year in a bid to help ratepayers to make submissions to IPART.

"People need to be aware of the facts ... this is their opportunity," he said.