They know how to do politics in Ramsgate. About 30 angry local people turned out to lobby a meeting of Ramsgate Town Council last night to remind their councillors that they will not accept backtracking or double-dealing on the disastrous Pleasurama project.
Amidst calls for his resignation, Cabinet member with responsibility for Pleasurama, Alan Poole, was reminded of the public anger about this issue. He was forced to concede on camera that the freehold of the land would NEVER be passed on to project developer SFP Ventures. The Town Council was also forced to call a public meeting in July to discuss Pleasurama. People Power at its best!
Uplifting
ReplyDeleteExcellent: we need resignations form these RTC/TDC doublehatters they're pointless. ANd another month wasted when with their doubledealing.
ReplyDeleteFantastic - wish I could have been there to support them.
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I am wrong but what has the Pleasurama site got to do with Ramsgate Town Council.
ReplyDeleteLots Tony. First 95% of Ramsgate Town Councillors are also TDC Councillors so can vote on the issue. Second Councillor Allan Poole who is the Cabinet member responsible for Pleasurama is also a Ramsgate Town Councillor. And most important of all Ramsgate Town Council is supposed to represent the views of Ramsgate people so its the natural place for local people to take their issues. Personally, I feel that Ramsgate Town Council is a total waste of time and money and should be replaced with a Town Forum run by local people who would through the forum hold their councillors account. Much more democratic I think
DeleteThe answer to Thanet's councillor problem is to look at the RTC/TD problem the other way Ian: we don't need TDC. 3 Town councils would be smaller, cheaper and more accountable and with no doublehatters. Shared services eg the bins could be sensibly shared. Maybe we need limits on the percentage of party politicians ant a local level as they're only good for squabbling with each other over national policy.
DeleteA Town Forum would cost a lot less too! RTC is playing at politics and it is utterly useless. It hasn't even had the guts to get off it's arses, out of it's offices and talk to the community properly about issues on it's own doorstep. Furthermore it virtually ignores the needs of the major part of the community it serves who live a good half mile and beyond from the seafront. It subsidises a festival, a yacht club, a couple of businesses, keeps an estate agent happy etc etc etc...
DeleteIt's fantastic that Ramsgate residents feel so annoyed that they are prepared to get off the sofa and do something about it. Maybe this could be the beginnings of a new movement to get the town back on its feet? Let's face it. Councillors of both main parties have had their opportunity to improve things over the last twenty years and all we've seen is c*ck up after c*ck up.
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