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This strategy has been based on the priorities of local people and the resources available to Thanet District Council. Its development has been shaped by a range of groups involved in cultural activities in Thanet, who participated in focus groups to give their views. It has also been shaped by the results from the Council’s residents’ panel, Community Matters, who were asked for their views on culture and leisure.
The key points raised during the consultation were:
People wanted to see Thanet’s beautiful beaches being enjoyed all year round, with a range of activities available for local people. These could include water sports, bistros, cafes and colourful, modern beach chalets. The achievement of this needs to reflect the potential impact of inclement weather, and the development of wider uses that are less weather dependent.
The consultation highlighted that cultural facilities should be available to everyone and suggested that activities should be available in particular for older people, young people and those with disabilities.
People suggested that measures should be put in place to conserve and improve the existing buildings and environment in Thanet. They also wanted to see the number of derelict and rundown buildings reduced and felt it was important that Thanet’s heritage and traditional seaside appeal were retained.
People wanted to see a regionally recognised, dynamic annual festivals and events programme that would celebrate culture in all its forms and would appeal to both residents and visitors.
Groups wanted more involvement in the development of cultural facilities in the future. They felt that they could bring a wide range of expertise and provide some input during the discussion of such plans.
In addition, the results of the Best Value surveys, which are carried out across the country once every three years, by an independent agency, have also been taken into account.
These showed that satisfaction levels with sports and leisure facilities were 55%, putting Thanet into the worst 25% of Councils across the country. Satisfaction with museums and galleries dropped by 10% from the previous survey to just 33%, while satisfaction with theatres and concert halls fell by 12% to 43%. The survey also showed that people were less satisfied with the area’s parks and open spaces, with the figure falling from 77% to 73%.
This is in sharp contrast to the overall satisfaction levels that the Council achieved during this survey. It was one of the top improvers in the country, with an increase in its overall satisfaction rate from 41% to 53%, with significant improvements also seen in satisfaction with street cleanliness and waste collection and tenants and customers of the Council’s benefits section also reporting higher levels of satisfaction.
It is therefore clear that the Council needs to concentrate in improving its satisfaction levels with the cultural services that it provides. Work is already underway to do this; the recent Audit Commission inspection rated the Council’s cultural services as ‘fair with promising aspects for improvement.
There are plans in place to provide new swimming facilities in the area and improve facilities at the area’s parks and open spaces.
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