Consultation response to night flying proposals

From Cllr Clive Hart - Labour Thanet District Council (TDC) Leader.

On Thursday evening (10th May) our TDC Cabinet Committee confirmed its support for Manston Airport but recommended that the council should not support the introduction of scheduled night-time flying proposed by the airport.

The Cabinet's final recommendations were made following an open and transparent public consultation process where absolutely no leading questions were asked, yet 73% of respondents proved to be opposed to night flights.

An independent assessment of the airports proposals was commissioned by my Conservative predecessor and their thorough work also informed our recommendations. 

Subsequently, a draft consultation response document went through the cross-party, Conservative chaired, Airport Working Party where several additions were agreed and through the cross party, Independent chaired, Overview and Scrutiny Panel where no further changes were made. Consequently, on Thursday evening our Cabinet Committee unanimously recommended the report to full council completely unchanged in any way.

As well as underestimating the potential negative impacts, we felt that the proposals overestimated the potential economic benefits, overstated the potential number of jobs and did not consider the detrimental impact of night time flying on Thanet's recovering tourism industry.

Having considered the views of local people, the findings of the independent assessment and the proposals themselves, it was clear what our recommendation to council had to be. We are however, fully supportive of the airport and I have written personally to the airport Chief Executive to clearly reassure him of that.

Encouraging regeneration in Thanet and supporting local business is vital to the success of the area, but this can't come at any cost. TDC will hold an extraordinary meeting of the council on 24th May to approve the final consultation response to Manston Airport's proposed Night Time Flying Policy.

Ramsgate Maritime Museum to open

Ramsgate’s Maritime Museum is set to re-open to the public in time for the May Day bank holiday weekend.

The museum was first opened over 25 years ago and prior to being closed down in 2008 by the East Kent Maritime trust, had become a well established, nationally recognised community asset, housed in the landmark grade 2 star, listed Clock House building in the Pier Yard. In it’s prominent position at the Royal Harbour , it was visited and much appreciated by many local residents and visitors to the town. This included students and tourists from across the world, as the museum visitor’s book would testify.

In February 2008 a petition signed by almost a thousand local residents called on Thanet District Council (TDC) to “Save our Maritime Museum”, demonstrating their concern regarding the closure and possible disposal of the valuable collection of maritime artefacts. This petition was noted and then completely disregarded by the Conservative administration of the time and the listed building has remained closed up and forlorn since 2009, with both the fabric of the building and it’s collection at risk, due to damp, rot and vandalism.  

    

Labour TDC Leader Cllr Clive Hart said "I'm delighted members of the public will soon be able to view the artefacts again, with displays and information that details the work, courage and sacrifice of our maritime nation’s seafarers. This includes the 18^th century jack tars of Nelson’s navy aboard the HMS Stirling Castle sunk on the Goodwins, the brave 19^th century Ramsgate Lifeboat men and the 20^th century servicemen during world war 2, at Dunkirk and in the Royal Navy coastal forces based atPleasurama, the servicemen who helped save our country from the Waffen SS, the Gestapo and the 

Concentration camp. From “England Expects” to the “Dunkirk Spirit”, they all deserve to be remembered and honoured by both the people of today and future generations". 

Cllr. Clive Hart, TDC Leader, hands the keys of the museum to Mr. Michael List Brain, Chairman of the Steam Museum Trust, who will now operate the museum, following the signing of a 25 year lease for the Clock House and Smeaton dock.

 

Business don't like uncertainty

From Cllr Clive Hart - Labour Leader of Thanet District Council.

 

There are suggestions being made by our political opponents that the Thanet Labour policy to protect our local environment has in some way caused the proposed sale of Manston Airport. 

 

Well, to quote Thanet Tory Cllr Simon Moores - "businesses don't like uncertainty". I agree, and Infratil's decision is more likely to be down to the effect of procrastination, indecision and navel gazing by the previous Conservative administration in relation to the airport, where he was part of a dithering Tory Cabinet. The Conservative's finally accepted the revised night-flying proposals from Manston Airport in October 2011 and despite suggesting at a public meeting that the consultation could start before the end of that year, when we took control of the council, we discovered it was not planned to start for months to come, and after that, take several more months to complete at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds of public money.

 

Indeed, had I not taken swift action to initiate a more focused consultation earlier this year, we would almost certainly now be at the start of a long, drawn out and costly Tory planned consultation process as this latest news hits us. And where would we have been then?

 

Fortunately, our more focused consultation process had just ended before this latest news from New Zealand, so all the consultation responses have been received and can now be processed accordingly.

 

Thanet Labour's concern for our local environment is something I am very proud of and an issue the public is increasingly in tune with. I do not believe it had any impact on Infratil's decision. They have chosen to sell off the airport, to use their own terminology, as a 'no regrets' decision, and they list Manston as an underperforming asset alongside another they intend to offload.

 

This weeks news for Manston is not good, but thankfully the council at least is on target to complete our local consultation process.

Council Tax freeze for 2012-13

At the Full Council meeting of 23rd February 2012, plans to present a zero per cent increase in the Council tax for 2012-13 was agreed. As part of the Budget process the minority Labour administration, with support from other parties, had passed a zero per cent increase. This decision was then confirmed at the most recent meeting of Thanet District Council members.

Councillor Rick Everitt, Cabinet member for Financial Services, said “We recognise that whilst we prioritise local jobs and services, we also need to do all that we can to help hard-pressed families.”

“Our objective was a safe and sustainable budget that delivers the policies and aspirations of the Council as far as is possible within the current funding settlement. I am pleased that these proposals enabled us to present a budget that supports a zero Council Tax increase and I am glad that Full Council has again agreed this freeze for the next financial year. I am sure that residents will welcome the Council Tax freeze for another year, and we are committed to ensuring that we protect the resident of Thanet from the brunt of these cuts imposed by the Conservative led Government.”

NOTE

Since 2010 Thanet District Council has been subject to cuts in grant funding of 5.3% in the financial year 2011-12, and cuts of 16.9% in the financial year 2012-13.

Leader's report to Council (23/02/2012)

From Labour Leader Cllr Clive Hart

"Thank you Chairman

Since becoming leader I have had series of meetings with local business groups across Thanet and I'm pleased to say I have been made very welcome by all. Indeed, it is most heartening when the local business community send and post messages of support and thanks through the internet following such meetings.

I have been open and honest and have made it very clear at each and every one of these business meetings that we are a moderate centre left
administration that is elected by residents but share wholeheartedly the interests of local business. I understand the business community has developed very mixed feelings about dealings with this council in the past and we will do everything possible to rebuild their confidence in TDC. We truly want businesses to succeed and they appear to get that message loud and clear. Further meetings are planned and despite the
desperate national and international economic situation I am very optimistic for the future. I'm particularly optimistic regarding Ramsgate Port and Harbour where companies involved in renewable energy are establishing themselves along the shoreline in ever increasing numbers. 

Cllr Poole and I had an excellent meeting with the Principal at Thanet College, and I was pleased to see his enthusiastic response to that meeting also posted on the internet through Twitter. We were in firm agreement as to the need for a clear focus on training and skills.

Unemployment figures here in Thanet, particularly in relation to young people, are nothing less than appalling and statistics regarding family and child poverty in areas of Ramsgate, Margate and Cliftonville are truly shocking.

The voluntary sector is a key partner to TDC and I am constantly meeting with residents from all manner of organisations who desperately want to help the council in numerous ways. From heritage, arts, sport and culture through to improving the local street scene and staging events, these voluntary organisations do incredible work and this administration is doing everything it possibly can to help and support them in return. I get the overall impression the voluntary sector, particularly those in Ramsgate, have too often been marginalised and sidelined by TDC in the past. We will most certainly do all we can to correct that!

Cllr Johnston and I met with KCC and the Housing and Community Agency earlier this week and I am convinced that with the help of council officers we put forward an excellent case for further assistance with the Live Margate project.

I recently attended the Kent Forum at County Hall and I left council leaders from across Kent in absolutely no uncertainty as to the devastating effect the governments proposed welfare reforms, changes to housing rules and the forthcoming universal credit plans will have on our district. The 'perfect storm' is brewing and its eye will be centred well and truly here in Thanet if significant changes are not made to these drastic proposals! 

We now have a Labour led district council here in Thanet, working in partnership with a Conservative led county council on many crucial issues affecting our island and this too calls for a special kind of understanding. I was therefore delighted when I first became Leader, and in what was my very first communication from Paul Carter at KCC, he called for us to leave the politics out of our 'new' relationship. I couldn't agree more and I too made that very clear.

Anyone attending the recent GEEK 2012 Business Breakfast at the Winter Gardens will have noticed the excellent working relationship that I share with Kevin Lynes, the KCC Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development. This is particularly pleasing given that part of my role at TDC now oversees strategic development services in line with Kevin's county portfolio.

I recently met with the Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities at KCC, Mike Hill and I'm also delighted to say we saw absolutely eye to eye on future processes and procedures that should see TDC and KCC work much more closely together on local issues affecting Thanet. We also agreed to do that business in a far more balanced way than has been the case in the past.

Indeed, the very serious issues TDC and KCC face jointly here in Thanet call for frank no-nonsense dialogue that could well be enhanced through a more businesslike approach to matters, even if that means we have a slightly less cozy conversation than my predecessor may have been used to.

Paul Carter, Kevin Lynes and Mike Hill are old adversaries from my time at County Hall, but I truly believe we developed a healthy respect for each others views during what were much easier times for local government. I'm also convinced that we each and all accept the serious issues affecting Thanet are far too important to play politics with at Leadership level.

I'd like to finish by thanking my fellow councillors, the Chief Executive, the Senior Management Team and the army of officers and foot soldiers who have made the last ten weeks or so of my life a very interesting and rewarding time. I have to offer particular thanks to my PA who very subtly makes sure I do exactly what I'm supposed to do each and every day.

In a hung council I know exactly how precarious the position of Leader is and I know the only way I can hang on to this role is to give 100% day in day out and as long as you will have me as leader, that is what I intend to give to the role".

Standing by our manifesto commitments

From Cllr Clive Hart - Labour Leader of Thanet District Council (TDC).

Amendments to Special Responsibility Allowances (SRA's)

In line with our Thanet Labour manifesto commitment, I have asked the Democratic Services team at TDC to bring a report to council on the 23rd February reducing by 20% the Special Responsibility Allowances paid to some councillors. SRA's are additional allowances paid to myself as Leader, the Deputy Leader, Cabinet Members, Shadow Cabinet members and Chairs and Vice Chairs of committee's. At present, in our 'inclusively' hung council, these extra allowances are spread across all political parties.

If agreed by council, the money saved will be used to reinstate a 'Members Community Grant Scheme' for all 56 councillors to use to support voluntary and community groups in their wards across Thanet. Around two years ago the former Conservative administration scrapped the original scheme which used to support numerous voluntary and community groups and projects across the island. Our Labour plans will see funding reinstated at no extra cost to the ratepayer whatsoever - sum neutral!

Special Responsibility Allowances are paid to councillors who take on posts requiring extra workload and which carry extra responsibility. I know how very hard these councillors work and that the SRA's paid at present are already in relative terms, low pay.

However, we are a hung council and no political party has an overall majority. We need to work together and find new ways to solve our problems. In this instance I am therefore asking those councillors receiving SRA's to sacrifice 20% of their own allowance for the greater benefit of our local community.

Response to Laura Sandys MP

Thanet Labour decision is reasonable, proportionate and appropriate

 

By Cllr Clive Hart - Leader of Thanet District Council (TDC)

 

Let me be absolutely clear.

 

My decision to change the public consultation on night flights proposals at Manston follows legal advice given to the council which explains that at this stage, the proposals DO NOT require a planning application.  Just as importantly, the advice goes on to state that the council’s role is one of CONSULTEE ONLY and as such the council will not be in a position to make a binding decision on night time flying at this stage.

 

My Conservative predecessor Cllr Bob Bayford had already spent several months and tens of thousands of pounds on this process before Labour took control of the council. His plans would have seen the council spend around a further £50,000 of public money on consultants to run the consultation process his way. Cllr Bayford may have been content to use ratepayers hard earned cash in this way and apparently Laura Sandys would like us do the same, but Labour will do precisely what is reasonable, proportionate and appropriate.

 

As for Laura Sandys' accusation that I am in some way 'watering down' the process, nothing could be further from the truth. The new TDC consultation process approach will now be focused here in Thanet with a strong weighting for the opinions of those directly affected by the proposals. I firmly believe this to be reasonable, proportionate and appropriate.

 

It is clear my Conservative predecessor was struggling with this issue. He had created a monster of a process that had got completely out of control. It would have left the council in the ridiculous position of spending enormous amounts of time and effort and a small fortune of public money on a consultation process that was only ever going to be used to form the council's 'opinion'.

 

Thanet residents, the airport consultative committee and the airports Chief Executive all complained to me about the long drawn out process we had inherited from the previous Conservative administration that was getting us nowhere. I therefore acted swiftly and did exactly what was reasonable, proportionate and appropriate.

 

Last but not least, I am pleased to see that on the serious issue of the environmental impact of the proposals, Laura Sandys shares exactly the same concerns as Thanet Labour and is firmly against night flights!