The Ramsgate Plan for Neighbourhoods Programme

Current list of Board members and where there are vacancies:

• Brian Horton – Director, Horton Strategic and Interim Chair
• Cllr Rick Everitt – Leader of Thanet District Council
• Cllr David Green – Ramsgate Town Councillor, Ramsgate Town Council
• Rebecca Smith – Chief Executive Officer, Social Enterprise Kent CIC
• Zoë Carassik – Chief Executive Officer, Pie Factory Music
• Polly Billington – Member of Parliament for East Thanet
• John Walker – Chair, Ramsgate Society
• Charlie Fox – Director Starlings Support CIC, on behalf of Newington Community Centre Association
• Matthew Scott – Police Crime Commissioner
• Lucy Mcleod – Chief Executive Officer, East Kent Colleges Group
• James Lawson – Chairman, Ramsgate Town Football Club
• Karen Sharp – East Kent Health and Care Partnership
• Kent County Council – vacant
• Young Person (18-25) – vacant
• Council or social housing tenant – vacant
• High street business owner – vacant
• Private sector investor – vacant
• Cultural or leisure venue – vacant
• Community, cultural or faith organisation – vacant

The role of the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board is to:

• Uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles)
• Develop the 10-Year vision and four year Regeneration Plan for Ramsgate, clearly identifying longer term priorities for the town based on evidence
• Identify the issues and priorities to focus for Ramsgate by supporting a process of ongoing community engagement
• Establish a clear programme of interventions to address the priority themes and to ensure coordinated and effective delivery
• Work with the local authority to develop the Plan for Ramsgate, set out how local partners will use their knowledge, powers, assets and new funding to deliver for Ramsgate’s communities
• Identify opportunities to bring in additional philanthropic or private investment to support overseeing the delivery of projects set out in the Investment Plan
• Mitigate any risks, particularly financial, legal and reputational
• Ensure all publicity rules and obligations are met including the government’s requirements for branding and recognition
• Where available use the range of levers and flexibilities they have access to to drive improvement and unlock barriers to regeneration and development
• Oversee delivery of the government funded projects ensuring the accountable body is in compliance with government agreements

Terms of Reference

Code of Conduct

The funding will be used to help deal with some of the issues that matter most to local people with the Ramsgate ten-year vision and regeneration plan needing to be submitted to government for consideration by the end of November 2025.

Undertaking meaningful engagement with the local community is a central pillar of the Plan for Neighbourhoods. Building trust and empowering the local community requires consistency, dedication and time, and evidence that people’s priorities have been acted upon.

Local people are now invited to share their thoughts on living in Ramsgate, through an online survey. The survey is open until Monday 8 September 2025.

Find out more about how you can have your say.

• Ramsgate Future Investment Plan 2021
• Ramsgate Future Engagement Summary report 2021
• Ramsgate Future Atlas 2021
• Government Data pack

Brian has over 35 years of professional experience in the Housing and Development sector and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Brian is the Director at Horton Strategic a housing, development and regeneration consultancy working independently and collaboratively to provide specialist strategic advice to clients in the public, private and third sector.

Brian is a Board Member at Keystage CIC, Gravesend Churches Housing Association and ABC Property Limited, Chair of Kent Housing Group, Trustee at Turner Contemporary Margate, Chair of the Thanet Regeneration Partnership Board and Chair of the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board.

Prior to setting up Horton Strategic, Brian worked as Strategic Housing Advisor to Kent County Council, Chief Executive of Swale Housing Association and as Executive Director Kent for AmicusHorizon (now Southern Housing). He previously held positions at Thanet District Council, English Churches Housing Group (now Riverside), the Corporation of London and Wandsworth Borough Council.

In his consultancy and through the South East Housing and Development Group Brian works with a number of organisations to accelerate the delivery of housing and facilitate good plan led growth, working in partnership to engage with MHCLG and Homes England.

Biography to come

1967-97 Research Scíentist, Medical Research Councíl

1999 – 2009 Network Manager, Clarendon School

Past Mayor of Ramsgate for 4 years

Currently Thanet District Councillor – Vice Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Currently Ramsgate Town Councillor – Chair of Finance

Rebecca has worked in strategic roles within the Kent and Medway Voluntary, Charity and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector for 20 years, and has been CEO of Social Enterprise Kent (SEK) since 2023.

She is passionate about social enterprise, communities and empowering people. With a MA in HR Business Partnership, a postgraduate diploma in management, and an adult teaching qualification, Rebecca loves learning and is hugely passionate about harnessing people’s potential.

Social Enterprise Kent supports other social enterprises and charities to help them grow and develop – whether that be through training, business support, mentoring or funding. Additionally, SEK supports individuals in local communities through wellbeing programmes designed to keep people fit and healthy – both physically and mentally. For example, SEK was the lead provider for the hugely successful 7-year Ageless Thanet programme that engaged over 9000 Thanet residents, 400 local businesses, and supported a huge range of VCSE organisations.

As one of the larger VCSE organisations in Kent, SEK applies for large contracts and grants that smaller, grass-roots social enterprises cannot, and disseminates this money out to the sector. This equated to over £1m in money out to the sector in 2024/25, and will be even more in 2025/26.

With premises in Margate and Ramsgate, SEK is proudly rooted in the Thanet community, and Rebecca is honoured to represent the wider VCSE sector on this Board.

Zoë Carassik is CEO of Pie Factory Music, a music and youth work charity based in a busy youth centre in Ramsgate, East Kent. With a background in community music engagement and music education, Zoë’s work has predominantly focused on supporting social justice causes and has taken her from immigration removal centres, women’s refuges and community centres to world-class cultural institutions and strategic charitable organisations.

Zoë is a passionate advocate for young people’s rights, ensuring young people are front and centre of the cultural regeneration of Thanet and other areas of high deprivation.

Biography to come

Biography to come

Charlie is passionate about working with people and communities. She has over 20 years’ experience working in the non-profit sector, specialising in income generation, community development and leadership, partnership development and strategy.

Biography to come

Lucy Mcleod is the CEO of East Kent Colleges Group and was appointed to this role in April 2025. Prior to this Lucy was Deputy CEO for two and a half years, and Chief Education Officer for a year. Lucy was Principal of Canterbury College for four years between 2017 and 2021 and Principal of Broadstairs College prior to that.

Lucy has worked for East Kent Colleges Group for 25 years and has worked in a wide range of roles in the further education sector since joining in 1998 as an EFL Lecturer. Including responsibility for international work, programmes for the unemployed, community learning, management of subcontracting and apprenticeships. In 2015, Lucy then went on to be Vice Principal for Widening Participation and had strategic direction of student support and was the Senior Safeguarding Lead for East Kent College.

Over the years, Lucy has sat on many boards, and is an experienced collaborator and strategic thinker. Partnership working and collaboration are essential to the success of EKC Group and have always been an aspect of Lucy’s role over the last 25 years.

Lucy is passionate about the student voice and committed to giving her students the best experience possible that goes beyond just achieving a qualification. How a student develops personally while at East Kent Colleges Group is a key focus.

Lucy also chairs the Kent and Medway Care Leavers Progression Partnership which is committed to improving the progression opportunities of care experienced young people.

James runs a group of organisations based in Ramsgate that focus on education, training, sport, and social enterprise. With over 15 years of experience in the sector, he is the founder of Lawtonash Training Services, which has supported thousands of local people into construction careers.

More recently, James established Flourish & Thrive Consultancy to bring together partners from across Thanet to deliver community-focused projects.

He also serves as Chair of Ramsgate Active Education Foundation, a local charity delivering inclusive health, education, and sports programmes including Thanet’s largest Holiday Activities & Food (HAF) programme. In addition, he is the Chairman of Ramsgate Football Club, which now acts as a vehicle for wider investment in youth engagement and local infrastructure.

James is particularly focused on how regeneration can create long-term opportunity – by developing spaces that bring people together, connecting skills to real jobs, and supporting grassroots enterprise.

Biography to come

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