Midweek ramble

On and off today, in-between customers and grappling with online forms and the other delights of being small businessman and I have been watching the latest council meeting webcast. Here is the link http://thanet.gov.uk/the-thanet-magazine/council-meeting-webcast/

There is a small amount about Pleasurama at around 43 mins, nothing conclusive and I doubt there will be until the development agreement deadline in February of next year.

I suppose as a member of the public my main concern is that the council won’t repeat the 2009 error and grant the developer another extension, I get the feeling that a lot of the councillors still think that this fundamentally a good development and the best solution would be to get it built by SFP to the existing plans.

The other aspect of the webcast that interested me – from what I have seen so far – is the business relating to the public’s perception of the council and the independent members of the standards committee. The is a bit of mention of this at around 38 mins and an interminable amount of it starting around 125 mins.

The Conservative group seem to be saying a mixture of we will change our spots and they didn’t need changing anyway, the Labour group seem to be focussing on the past councillors criminal activity. I think the basis of the argument here is that since none of the current group have been convicted of a criminal offence there is no reason for the public to have a bad perception of the council. Taken to its logical conclusion of anyone who hasn’t been convicted of a crime makes a good councillor, doesn’t really get to heart of the issue.

I guess the main problem is the actual video itself, you can’t embed it in a website, the councillors are barely identifiable and it appeared about then days after the meeting, which doesn’t seem to say the council is trying to engage with the public. Added to this is the fact that the council haven’t put the written draft minutes on their website yet, once again the clear message that engaging with the public doesn’t have a high priority.  

I have also had a bit of a go at reading the newly published Airports Commission: Interim Report, in the hope of trying to decide how this will impact on Manston, see https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/266668/airports-commission-interim-report.pdf this turned out to be a bit of a waste of time as I don’t think it actually mentions Manston, if it does I missed it. 

I guess with Manston and Ramsgate being at the end of the runway, the main thing I would like is some sort of predictable future for it. I am now wondering if the new owners bought it in the hope that it would be  major feature in the report and will now want to sell it. 

I may ramble on here later although there doesn't seem to be much that one could say really qualifies a local news at the moment.