I'm indebted to reader Chris for this one. He writes:Has anyone else noticed that the council dug up all the beautiful pansies from Albion Place just before the Dynamo Day celebrations last week (photo attached)? It was previously a riot of colour. Are they determined to make us Ramsgate council taxpayers second class Thanet citizens?
Haha! Well, er, 'Yes' is the answer to that one Chris (natch). They've probably taken the flowers over to Margate, where they're spending tens of thousands on tarting up Marine Gardens by the clock tower.
Meanwhile I see the latest issue of our beloved council's very own Pravda - Thanet Tatters - has omitted any mention of Ramsgate Town Council's Summer Squall arts festival at the end of August, choosing to publicise TDC's Monster Bass bash [What that? - Ed] instead.
And I'm also told by my spies on the less salubrious West Cliff here in the Millionaires' Playground that, as of the beginning of this month, you'll have to pay the Cecil Square duffers £5.50 for an hour of tennis if you want to use the courts in Spencer Square. As one correspondent puts it:
They've opened up a hut and got a council employee to book the courts and take the money. What happens when the courts are empty, are they still paying someone by the hour to watch the courts? How can that be viable?
It's not that I object to paying but it's the lack of consultation with local residents who use the courts that bugs me. I don't use the courts very often but I know a lot of local kids use them. In these credit crunch times I think the price will be a stumbling block for families/kids wanting to use the courts and get some fresh air and exercise. We've got an Olympics coming for goodness sake why does the council want to prevent young people taking up sport? Stupid bloody council make me sick.
Still, I suppose it's better than them squandering the shiny side of £80K on a vacuous attempt to sell the tennis courts off for development!
Download the summer issue of Thanet Tatters
Britain in Bloom sabotaged by mystery poisoner in Daily Wail
More on Summer Squall arts festival from Ramsgate Arts
13 comments:
From TDC's cockeyed vision for 2030 in the latest edition of Thanet Matters:
"Airport established as major cargo base."
Leave now, people of Ramsgate. Leave now before it's too late.
When the tennis courts are underused because of the charges, TDC will put them on an asset disposal list for development.
In "Thanet Matters" TDC claim on the back page to be spending £1.6m on the Royal Harbour. However if you read page 6 about windfarms £1.2m is coming from London Array.
That leaves £400,000 for dredging until 2030, by which time it will be re-named the Royal Lagoon.
i used the tennis courts today and there was no-one there keeping watch and the hut still looked boarded up.
I wouldn't worry too much about the Spencer Gardens tennis courts for there is power and influence in them there parts! As to the Royal Harbour, well it doesn't matter too much, other than easing the strain on our pockets a bit, where the money comes from as long as it is wisely spent. That, of course, is the million dollar question.
I saw they were planning to charge, Greedy oiks
I am afraid, Bluenote you have missed the point. The majority of works are funded by the wind farms to carry out works for mainly their benefit, with the exception of renewing a leaky fuel supply.
Count the number of boats on moorings multiply by an average of say £2000 per annum and see if you think spending only £400,000 is appropriate.
Bluenote is simply an apologist for the local Tory Party. No problems with that, as long as we all know where he is coming from.
Bluenote is clearly in the majority then (who won the election?!)...
Well said 11:50. As for 11:33, I really don't see any cause to apologise for the Tory party, since they could hardly do worse than the last lot, and I really don't mind if people know where I am coming from. Perhaps someone could enlighten me sometimes!
As for Readit, well I haven't had the privilege of studying the council's expenditure budget, as you evidently have, so I've no idea how much they propose to spend on dredging and over how long. I merely made the comment that it is good to see some non-council tax payers money being spent on the harbour. In my book, if London Array are going to use the facility they should help fund it.
Whats happened to all the flower beds in Broadstairs near Morellis .. lots of benches but no flowers? Never seen it so barren and empty?
"Picked by young girls every one" if the old song is to be believed though, being Thanet, more likely nicked for resale at boot fairs!
I hope the likes of Bluenote understand that many of the boat owners wave the blue flag and get a little bit tetchy when they see a Tory council redirect funds from the mooring fees (which really should go back into the cyclical repairs). We spend an awful lot of money on mooring and would like to see payback one day. We are not all down for the weekenders and some of us are very keen to to improve the jewel in Thanet's Crown.
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