Council Departments

Thanet District Council Local Government Structure

If you are unfamiliar with local government you may find it useful to understand the role of local government and exactly what Thanet does.

The services marked '*' in the table are statutory functions that we are required to provide by law.

The Council has a statutory obligation to support the community in times of emergency i.e. floods.   Employees are required to assist in the Emergency Plan and training will be provided for those staff selected for specific roles and you should be aware that you may be called upon at any time.

In Thanet, People Matter

The Corporate Plan for 2012-16 sets out the council’s aims and objectives for the next four years and contains eleven priorities which will be supported by operational plans and reviewed on an annual basis.

Thanet District Council – How are decisions made?

The Council is run by councillors, who are elected by the local community. The Full Council is made up of
56 Councillors. It sets the Budget (and Council Tax) and the policy framework within which all decisions must sit. It also chooses the Council Leader, who then chooses his or her own Cabinet. 

Decisions on the Council's services are taken by the Executive (Cabinet) consisting of a Leader and Cabinet. All key decisions to be made by the Executive will be published in the Forward Plan. Each of these Councillors has a portfolio which covers an individual area of responsibility and for some of these they can make delegated decisions outside of Cabinet. There are six portfolio areas:-

• Regeneration and Economic Development
• Finance and Corporate Services
• Customer Services and Business Transformation
• Community Services
• Environmental Services
• Regulatory Services and Ramsgate Marina

All decisions of the Executive must be in line with the overall framework set by the Council (policies and budget).

The Council also has an Overview and Scrutiny Panel which has the power to scrutinise executive decisions. They can also 'call in a decision' after it has been made so they can examine alternative actions that may be possible. That prevents the decision taking effect until the process has been concluded.

Read more about Decision making at the Council

Council Staff

Employees of the Council are known as 'Officers' and elected councillors are known as 'Members'.  The Council employs officers to give advice, implement decisions and manage the day to day planning and management of the Council.  A Code of Conduct governs the relationships between officers and Councillors.

Corporate Management Team

The Corporate Management Team is responsible for managing the activities of the Council staff and for advising councillors on the potential implications of political decisions.

By law, senior Council Staff are not allowed to participate in any party political activity and are expected to advise and assist all councillors irrespective of their political affiliations.

The Corporate Senior Management Team (SMT) comprises Chief Executive and 5 Senior Managers. The Council employs over 700 staff working in a variety of roles. 

Customer Services

E-mail:

customer.services
@thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577000