THE City of Greater Bendigo council will face another public rally against it early in the new year.
The Bendigo Ratepayers Association of Council Scrutineers is planning another anti-council rally for February.
The rally will be a blow for council, with mayor David Jones looking for a back-to-basics year, highlighting the good work council does.
A rally in an election year will only add to the negativity surrounding the council’s performance.
BRACS spokesman Martin Ruffell said things had not improved since the last rally in April.
“Council still hasn’t learnt, they are still making mistakes,” he said.
“People are still angry and feel disenfranchised from their ward representatives.”
Mr Ruffell criticised the council for its performance since the rally.
“The community satisfaction surveys are getting worse and worse each year,” he said.
“The public perception is they are not doing a good job. They haven’t really served the community well, even though they claim they have.
“I think David Jones has listened, but the rest haven’t.”
Cr Jones went immediately on the attack.
“The truth of the matter is that the last rally organised by Martin was a flop, with not even 1000 residents present, and there was no evidence that all of the people that were there were anti-council anyway,” he said.
“Greater Bendigo has a population close to 100,000 so if the council is doing such a bad job as Martin claims, then why did only one per cent of our residents turn out to show their displeasure at the previous rally?
“To be perfectly honest I think  Martin Ruffell speaks on behalf of a very vocal minority group who do not represent the views of the wider community.”
Mr Ruffell said BRACS would run strong candidates in most wards at the next year’s November election, against most of the sitting councillors.
“We have four or five people who have already put up their hands,” he said.
“We have candidates for David Jones’, Trudi McClure’s and Julie Rivendell’s seats and we have a good one to take on Keith Reynard.
“It will all be part of a launch next year.”
Cr Jones said he was getting a different response.
“I regularly talk to residents of my own Kangaroo Flat ward to gain feedback and many say to me that they just don’t understand or relate to what Martin and Lisa Ruffell and the Epsom Huntly Action Group are on about,” he said.
“Over the last three years in Kangaroo Flat we have
developed a Structure Plan which paved the way for the Rocklea development.
“In addition, there has been the opening of the Aldi supermarket, the new IGA supermarket and a $25 million redevelopment of the Kangaroo Flat Market Place.
“The EHAG group’s continued negativity is hindering growth in Epsom.
“Most of the residents in the Epsom and Huntly area have accepted the umpire’s decision and moved on.  They just want to see a supermarket built and that’s exactly what is about to happen.”
Mr Ruffell would not be drawn on whether or not he would run in the council elections.
“I am not saying no to running, it’s just a matter of seeing who else will run in the area.”