Stop the Rot campaign launched

It seems that lobbing politicians is the flavour of the month presently.

Raintrees Cafe owner, Sean Webb, has launched a petition to lobby the Cairns Council to not approve the rate rise at the next Council meeting.

In what he is calling Val Schier's Broken Promise - Stop the Rot Campaign, Sean Webb has sent up a web petition to gather as much community support as possible.

"If the Council break their promise and rates are increased above the CPI figures, we will make sure our vote counts towards removing the current Council at the earliest opportunity," he says.

"Almost two weeks ago I sent out an email to four people in my contact list that owned their own house," says Sean.

"I also placed the same information on our counter at our Café in Raintrees Shopping Centre. Both the emails are still coming in and the petition is still being signed at the Café."

He has asked for support from a vocal advocate against the rate rise, Councillor Robert Pyne.

"I read the article in Friday's [Cairns Post] paper and thought you may be able to help stop such a large increase in the rates," Webb says in a letter to Cr Pyne.

"I have also sent the list to Cr Alan Blake and Mayor Val Schier."

Sean Webb says that Val Schier's pre election promise included that she would not increase rates, she then changed that statement after being elected to 'rates would only be raised according to the CPI increase.'

"In May, Councillor Alan Blake then announced that rates would rise between 4.5% and 5.5%," Webb says. "This is higher than the CPI."

"Now in June, we are being told by Alan Blake that the rates will be raised by up to 10.5%.
Some of us need to stand up and voice our disappointment together and we need to get this in before July," he says.

"I'm not sure what we will be able to achieve, but we are certainly one average family of five with a small business that is feeling the strain of the current economic pressure, Sean Webb says. "I have concerns that the increase in fees will not stop here."

You can contact Sean Webb by email or phone him on 0418 182 285. Alternatively, sign the petition here.

Already 155 have signed the petition.