Thanet Green Party is delighted to be standing a full slate of candidates for May’s KCC elections.
Ramsgate
In Ramsgate, our candidates are Becky Wing and Katie Gerrard.
Becky needs little introduction to Ramsgate residents. She has been Green Councillor for Central Harbour ward on Thanet District Council and Ramsgate Town Council for two years, and chairs Addington Street Community Group which runs the popular Revival Fair. Becky works with vulnerable young people for Charlton Athletic FC’s community arm. At TDC she has worked to protect Ramsgate’s port, harbour and beaches and regenerate its town centre. She has also pushed TDC for more openness and community involvement across all its activities.
Katie lives in Newington and has a daughter at Royal Harbour Academy and a son at a local primary school. She has worked in housing, regeneration and recruitment, and wants to see improvements for residents’ lives now, particularly in the wake of the pandemic which has created so much extra pressure on families. She wants to ensure Newington and Ramsgate are seen and heard, and that both KCC and TDC allocate funding and support wards that feel overlooked & neglected.
Katie is also the Green Party’s candidate for the TDC Newington by-election.
Broadstairs
Mike Garner is standing for the Green Party in Broadstairs.
Mike is the Leader of the Green Group on Thanet District Council. He is the newly-elected Chair of the Governance and Audit Committee and sits on the Planning Committee and Climate Emergency Working Group. Mike represents St Peters on TDC and Broadstairs Town Council. He has worked with residents’ groups to create new play areas and protect green spaces, and with the Tree Warden to encourage new planting and build biodiversity across the Isle. Mike will fight against encroachment into the green wedge and support residents to secure high quality KCC services.
Margate
Our candidate in Margate is central Margate resident Sue Rees.
Sue is retired and volunteers with Pilgrims Hospice. She believes that as a seaside resort in a fishing area, Margate must act on the plastic and other waste going into our oceans. This directly impacts on the life of the town, affecting tourism and jobs as well as the quality of residents’ lives. As a flat-dweller without access to recycling facilities, she has campaigned for improvements to local waste and recycling services, which she argues need a complete overhaul.
Cliftonville
The Green Party candidate in Cliftonville is local activist Michelle Thomas.
Michelle is a local single parent and communications specialist working mainly in the entertainment industry. She is an active campaigner with XR and other social and environmental groups and has advised Thanet District Council on statues and plaques in view of Black Lives Matter. A non-driver herself, she wants to see the area become more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly, with access to good, affordable public transport, and believes post-Covid we must rebuild around people, not cars.
Birchington and Rural
In Birchington and Rural, the Green Party’s candidates are Rob Edwards and Abi Smith.
Rob is 28 and has lived in Westgate for most of his life, working at the Carlton Cinema, delivering papers, planting trees and helping with community campaigns. As a younger person with friends and older relatives in the area, he will work hard to ensure all generations’ needs are catered for. Rob works in the sports sector and wants to see KCC approach public health positively via better-managed open spaces, cycling &walking facilities and an emphasis on family-friendly activities.
Abi lives in Westgate and is familiar locally from her work in Thanet libraries and Kent Community Health, and more widely from her volunteer work, including several years with Thanet Citizens’ Advice, which gave her an insight into the resilience of people in the area and the daily challenges they face. She believes vested interests are threatening the wellbeing of local communities. She will be a voice to stand up for the people and environment of Birchington and the villages within KCC.