Cllr Ash Ashbee appointed new Leader of Thanet District Council
Councillor Ash Ashbee, Leader of the Thanet Conservative group, was elected as the Leader of Thanet District Council at a Council meeting last night (Thursday 3 June).
Cllr Ashbee received 30 votes and Cllr Rick Everitt received 18 votes from members present at the meeting.
This follows a 19 month Labour administration and comes after the resignation of former Labour Leader, Cllr Rick Everitt.
The meeting was held at the Ramsgate Leisure Centre to allow for the required social distancing.
Cllr Ashbee said: “I’m incredibly proud to be elected as Leader for Thanet District Council. As a Thanet resident for 33 years I have a great fondness for the district and I want to assure residents and business owners that I along with my group will work hard to resolve problems and look for opportunities to bring positive community and business success to the area.”
Members of the new Cabinet were confirmed today (Friday 4 June) as follows:
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Development | Councillor Reece Pugh |
Cabinet Member for Housing | Councillor Jill Bayford |
Cabinet Member for Environmental Services & Special Projects | Councillor Robert Bayford |
Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Youth Engagement | Councillor George Kup |
Cabinet Member for Finance | Councillor David Saunders |
The first Cabinet meeting will take place on Tuesday 8 June.
Newsroom
See all
A new art gallery opening on Ramsgate’s Harbour Street has had its recently rediscovered original lead glass shopfront freshly restored, thanks to funding from Historic England.

Thanet District Council’s Foy House development has been selected as a finalist in the ‘Best Social Housing Initiative’ of the MJ Achievement Awards 2023, announced today (Thursday 30 March). The industry-leading awards recognise outstanding achievements by local authorities.

Thanet District Council has been awarded £4.3million following a successful bid for funding from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF).