Agenda item

To receive a report from the Leader of the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 2.4.

During his report the Leader covered the following areas:

• The Council looked to minimise the potential impact that Operation Brock, and the use of the former Manston Airport site as a lorry park, would have on the District if it was called into use following Brexit.
• The Council had selected Ramsgate to bid for a share of the Future High Street Fund.
• The Council had received two payments from Government in connection with Brexit.
• The Council had successfully made a Coastal Revival Fund bid to commission a feasibility study into the Lido and Cliftonville Baths site.
• Business that used public litter bins to dispose of their business or commercial waste were breaking the law.
• The Council had recently introduced a scheme to tackle rogue Landlords.
• The Council had provided the Local Government Association (LGA) with a presentation on social integration and cohesion that the LGA had incorporated into its new cohesion guidance.
• A Health and Wellbeing Cabinet Advisory Group would be set up to advise Cabinet on issues connected to the East Kent Hospitals Trust.
• The Council had negotiated the sale of freehold land to Margate Football Club which would allow the club to expand.
• The Council had facilitated the sale of the Royal Sands site in order to guarantee the development of the site in the near future.
• Margate had been selected to host the Blue Flag Awards this year.
• Almost £3million had been generated over the year through the sale of Council properties that were surplus to requirements.
• The Leader offered his thanks to both the senior management team for their support of the Cabinet, and the staff of the Council for their work for the residents of the District.

Councillor Wells as Leader of the Independent and UKIP Group made the following points:

• While it was good that the Council had received two Brexit payments, the Council had suffered prolonged and ongoing cuts to its funding from Central Government.
• It was hard to see the logic behind the use of the former Manston site as a lorry park.
• Councillors Johnston and Hayton both deserved a round of applause as they were standing down in May after many years of service to the District.  Members offered a round of applause for Councillors Johnston and Hayton.

The Leader replied to Councillor Wells’ comments with the following point;

• He believed that the public may have run out of patience with politicians over the handling of Brexit, and he hoped that this would not lead to apathy from electors in the May 2020 elections.

Councillor Reverend Piper as Leader of the Thanet Independent Councillors Group made the following points:

• Better communication with the public was needed to avoid apathy at the polling stations.
• Operation Brock could not be seen as a long term solution.
• It was good that Ramsgate had been chosen to bid for a share of the Coastal Revival Fund.
• Fly tipping was a blight on the community, a robust response would be required from the new administration in May.
• There was lots of good news in the Leaders report.
• It was welcome that a feasibility study for the Lido and Cliftonville baths would be carried out and that it would not be funded by the Council.
• Members may have hoped that the Leaders report would contain details of a Ramsgate Port feasibility study.

The Leader replied to Councillor Reverend Piper’s comments with the following point:

• If the Leader remained in position after the May elections, a Ramsgate Port feasibility study would be completed by the end of the year.

Councillor Matterface as leader of the Labour Party made the following points:

• There was concern that Operation Brock and the lorry park would make Thanet inaccessible.
• Work to tackle litter was important, however bins were not emptied regularly enough.  Additionally, the contents of red bags sometimes blew out which added to the problem.
• There was no mention in the Leaders reports of bus service cuts that would be introduced from 7 April 2019.
• Councillor Matterface wished to thank everyone in the chamber, and wished anyone sitting in the May elections good luck.

The Leader replied to Councillor Matterface’s comments with the following points:

• The Council would soon deploy 75 smart bins that would send a signal to be emptied when they were full.