And what we'll do if we get elected
By Mike Garner, Thanet Green Party Chair and Leader of the Green Group, Thanet District Council
We face many long-term challenges in Thanet. Key to solving many of them, in our view, is to improve Thanet’s prosperity by working for a clean, green recovery following the Covid pandemic.
Central to prosperity is jobs – decent, sustainable jobs with training and prospects. With two successful wind farms in the area, and an abundance of wind, wave and solar power in our coastal district, we believe Thanet has great potential to become a centre for sustainable energy and clean technologies, with our Universities and Colleges working to support this through research and training.
KCC can help by stimulating new business investment and seeking support from Government, the SE Local Enterprise Partnership and other potential funding sources, as well as actively supporting existing local businesses through its purchasing policy.
At present we do not believe Thanet gets nearly enough attention from KCC. If elected, we will push hard for the County Council to focus much more on addressing the issues in disadvantaged areas like Thanet, where more investment would make a real, practical difference. Alongside this, we will work hard ourselves as Divisional Councillors to attract business, research and training investment for a green recovery.
And at a simple, practical level, we’ll also focus on ensuring KCC also provides the basic services that our Council tax funds – things like clearing drains, planting and maintaining street trees and mending potholes, which make a visible difference to our quality of life and the experience of the visitors our local economy relies on.