Public speaking at Council meetings
Ask a question at the next full Council meeting
Please make sure you have read through the guidance below before submitting your question.
A question can also be posted to: the Committee Services Manager, Council Offices, PO Box 9, Cecil Street, Margate, Kent CT10 1XZ
Members of the press and residents of Thanet can ask questions at ordinary meetings of Council; the exceptions being the annual council meeting, the annual budget-setting meeting (usually at the beginning of February) and extraordinary meetings.
A question must be submitted by the person who will ask the question at the Council meeting and not someone else on the questioner’s behalf. You can submit a question by clicking on the date of the meeting in the table below.
Upcoming meetings and dates by which your questions should be submitted
The Committee Services Manager must receive your question at least five full working days before the date of the meeting. Saturdays and Sundays and bank holidays do not count as ‘working days’.
| Date of ordinary meeting of council | Time by which your question should be received |
|---|---|
| Thursday, 23 February 2023 | 5.30pm, Wednesday 15 February 2023 |
| Thursday, 30 March 2023 | 5.30pm, Wednesday 22 March 2023 |
Further information
Summary of Questions and Responses at the Council meeting of 8 December 2022.
Questions from Councillors
Question from Cllr Wing to Cllr Ashbee, Leader of the Council
The replacement for berths 4/5 has now been in place for a number of months and is clearly being used by Bretts but can you confirm, when will they be applying to KCC for the fitting of a conveyor system to ensure they can discharge both sand and aggregate from their vessels into their cement batching plant and aggregate business? The lease agreement TDC has with Bretts suggests at Part 4; Improvements, that this work should have been started and completed!
Response:
A conveyor has not yet been fitted to the berth and this is solely the responsibility of Brett Aggregates to commission and manage. It is understood that Brett Aggregates are planning the provision of a new conveyor but a programme for installation has not yet been confirmed.
As indicated in the Berth 4/5 FAQ’s on the council’s website, Kent County Council is the planning Authority responsible for Waste and Minerals which includes Brett Aggregates activity, not Thanet District Council.
The question also refers to Part 4 of the lease agreement, which references a requirement for Bretts to undertake improvements within 8 weeks of the date of the agreement. The agreement is dated 31st March 2006 and the improvements referenced relate to the previous and now decommissioned berth. This requirement therefore has no relevance to the new berth.
Question from Cllr Bailey to Cllr Kup, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Youth Engagement
‘The most consistent complaint I hear is regarding the condition and management of Thanet’s public toilets.
The Council’s 4-year Corporate Statement includes an objective to; –
“Undertake a full and thorough review of our public toilet facilities including providing incentives for businesses to make good quality facilities available to the public.”
To my knowledge, there have been toilet surveys; discussions with Town Councils; a Toilet Working Party and money allocated in the budget for toilet refurbishment.
I previously enquired about the outcome of the Toilet Working Party in July 2021 but I am still not aware of a published strategy.
With only a few months remaining, could you please update me on the progress of this corporate objective, is there a written strategy, what does it look like and when will it be implemented?’
Response:
We know how important public toilets are to Thanet residents and visitors alike and we are currently commissioning condition surveys of all of these facilities, the results of which will help shape the provision and strategy moving forward, this will allow us to explore all opportunities for the provision of this service. In the meantime we are pleased to let you know that we are undertaking a programme of deep cleans of our public toilets during the winter period. This will mean that specific toilets will be closed for one or two days to allow the works to take place. Signs will be displayed on the facilities ahead of each temporary closure.
Deep cleaning is currently scheduled for the following facilities:
Crofts Place, Broadstairs and St Mildreds Bay accessible toilets
Station Road, Westgate and Westbay accessible toilets
Morrisons, College Walk, Margate
East Pier Yard, Ramsgate
The Center, Margate
Please be aware that there may be unavoidable changes to this schedule.
In addition, we are undertaking external repairs and internal refurbishment to the Harbour Street toilets in Broadstairs, it is anticipated that they will be reopened on the 21 Dec.
Question from Cllr Everitt to Cllr Jill Bayford, Cabinet Member for Housing
The recent tenant and leaseholder services performance report is creditable and shows that the service provided to tenants of our council housing has improved significantly since management of the stock was brought back in-house during the last Labour administration. Our officers and staff deserve credit for this. However, from my experience dealing with housing issues in Newington ward and other examples elsewhere, Orbit tenants are not so well served.
Does the cabinet member share my concern about Orbit’s performance and particularly the difficulty its tenants seem to have getting a response when they raise issues? In the light of the tragic case of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died from the effects of mould in his housing association home in Rochdale, can she assure the council that nothing similar could happen in Thanet?
Response:
Councillor Everitt gave his apologies, and was unable to attend the meeting to ask the question; therefore the question was responded to in writing.
Question from Cllr Austin to Cllr Bob Bayford, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Special Projects
We all know waste management and recycling are challenging in Thanet. In Ramsgate we established a Litter Forum 5 years ago to link voluntary groups with TDC and RTC to improve street cleanliness and recycling rates.
We’ve consistently requested small street recycling bins, so were pleased in October to hear these would be installed across Thanet. We also heard with approval plans to remove large commercial bins from public areas to address the flytipping they always attract.
So when an army of new commercial-sized bins for both recycling and litter appeared without warning on Ramsgate’s streets recently in place of the small street recycling bins we’d been promised, we were understandably puzzled and disappointed.
We can only conclude that TDC policy on managing street waste has changed radically since October – for Ramsgate at least. Could Cllr Bayford please explain our current approach and the rationale for these recent changes?
Response:
We are currently reviewing the usage of bring sites and accessibility for those residents who are unable to receive a recycling collection from their home. As a result of this we are trialling the implementation of 1100L mixed recycling bins at 16 different locations throughout Thanet, whereby residents and members of the public can recycle bottles, cans, tins and plastics. These locations are strategic based on the location of properties not receiving a recycling collection to make it accessible within walking distance but also to reduce fly tipping.
The 20 jubilee style mixed recycling bins have now been installed which includes 4 in Ramsgate Town. plus a 360L bin housing for mixed recycling to be installed outside Cavendish Street toilets.
Questions from Members of the Public
Question from Ms Gibson to Cllr Bob Bayford, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Special Projects
Hydrogen filling points are required in Thanet. Hydrogen conversion is the affordable and speedy means for the most polluting vehicles (trucks and vans) to become carbon neutral and to help Thanet achieve its commitment to reduce carbon emissions. For this to be feasible we need to have hydrogen filling points. Can the council facilitate this asap?
Response:
Hydrogen is being investigated as an option for heavy goods vehicles in Kent. For example, Ryze in Herne Bay will be the first supplier and distributor of hydrogen in the area. The conversion of larger vehicles to hydrogen is also an option to be considered when deciding upon the route forwards. We will work with KCC and our neighbouring districts to facilitate the installation of technologies which will enable the speedy route to lower emission transport and route to net zero overall.
Renewable electricity, such as wind or solar power, is needed to create green hydrogen through the electrolysis of water, therefore the infrastructure for these large energy suppliers must also be considered.
Question from Mr Clements to Cllr Ashbee, Leader of the Council
The Margate Winter Gardens closed in August 2022, this has been known about since December 2021. At Cabinet on 22/09/2022 we were told a timetable of actions were due to be issued soon, but there is still nothing on the TDC website about what will happen next. Can TDC confirm if the feasibility study has begun yet for the building?
Response:
The questioner was not present at the meeting to ask the question, therefore the question will be responded to in writing.
Question from Ms Cooper-Davis to Cllr Ashbee, Leader of the Council
Can the council leader reassure us that the humanity and safety needs of the Manston detainees will be the top priority when discussing this matter with local and national government?
Response:
The questioner was not present at the meeting to ask the question, therefore the question will be responded to in writing.
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- You must give your name and address. Your address will only be used to identify that you are a Thanet resident entitled to ask a question at a council meeting.
- Your question must not be more than one hundred and fifty words.
- You must give the name of the Cabinet Member your question is for. To find out which Cabinet Member you should ask, please click on cabinet posts.
- Please check the summary of questions asked at past meetings via the link below to make sure your question or a similar question has not been asked within the last 6 months.
- Please view Speaking at Council meetings – Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
| Date of past ordinary meeting of council | Questions asked at council meeting |
|---|---|
| Thursday, 10 December 2020 | |
| Thursday, 25 February 2021 | |
| Thursday, 25 March 2021 | |
| Thursday, 3 June 2021 | |
| Thursday, 15 July 2021 | |
| Thursday, 9 September 2021 | |
| Thursday, 14 October 2021 | |
| Wednesday, 12 January 2022 | |
| Thursday, 24 February 2022 | |
| Thursday, 31 March 2022 | |
| Thursday, 14 July 2022 | |
| Thursday, 8 September and Thursday 13 October 2022 |
Questions from earlier Council meetings can be found in our archive.
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