Wednesday, August 27, 2008

What do local authority Chief Executives do

Thanet council seems to be attracting more bad publicity every week. Many residents are concerned with the haste, that the normally slothful council are attaching to the China Gateway Project, which would seem to suit, the commercial interest of Developers rather than measured consideration for the benefit of local residents.

Today's yourthanet , covers the rather (for me) disturbing story of Cllr Simon Day and retrospective planning which has been granted, on what I consider a rather incongruous building previously mentioned in great detail by Bertie Biggles click here.

Incidentally prior to Bertie Biggles mention I for one along with I guess most of Thanet had never heard of Simon Day, so maybe if anyone knows who he is, and what if anything he has contributed to Thanet do let us know for balance (and make sure its accurate).

The loss of several million pounds on the extraordinary over spend on the Marks & Spencer Building in Margate is another cause for concern that someone ought to address.

Oh yes I mentioned what do Chief Executives do, well no doubt they are a neutral non party political administrative boss of the council, in office to do what democratically elected councillors bid within the constraints of the law.

I recall a Chief Executive apparently suggesting or was it telling elected representatives not to conduct debate in the local press and media, maybe someone could confirm that for me, anyhow right now Thanet Councils reputation must be at the lowest its ever been (which is some low).

For me perhaps, the most comic and outrageous thing, the council has ever been alleged, to have done, is to apparently agree with developers to have signs welcoming people to Thanet home of Chinese globalisation. For this reason, the Chinese government despite all the billions of pounds spent Olympic propaganda, still routinely send people to labour camps, on my drive home last week from a night shift listening BBC world service, they covered the story of a 79 year old lady who's home had been demolished, who on requesting permission to demonstrate, was threatened with being sent to a labour camp. All you need to know about the barbaric Chinese government.

Still fortunately, we live in a slightly more democratic world, so I'm just thinking maybe its time for the Chief Executive of Thanet as an impartial public servant, to make public what if anything he might do to intervene in what some see as poor performance and serious error by Thanet District Council.

6 comments:

  1. Haven't a clue Tony, but am reliably informed (from the depths of a Tesco bag or two) that Chief Executives of TDC do not hit mini-bars in hotels in exotic far away places; much to the pleasure and delight of developers paying for their visit.

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  2. For what it is worth there is a Constitution for Thanet Council that supposedly set out exactly the broad roll of the council at each level. However I found that those we elect largely ignore it...

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  3. Hopefully what the TDC Chief Executive does is reply promptly to requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

    EG A current request for information on a solvent leak at Sericol in the 90s. Environment Agency Report. Quantity. Length of time leak went undetected by site safety maintenance engineer (was this Cllr Maison) the danger to water table. Whether solvent was polar, water absorbent and whether it would produce conductive flame when ignited. And whether this incident would have gon undetected to contaminate water table but for an anonymous whistleblower.

    And whether under due diligence this incident report was circulated to all councillors to weigh as part of their deliberations re CGP and prevention and detection of on site chemical hazards to the Thanet geology and water supply.

    On a separate point I wonder if the Tesco bag incident now has a councillor potentially giving evidence in exchange for immunity from prosecution ? If there is subtance to this suspicion then the relevance of Rick's posting to Michael's blog about three weeks ago (which you criticised) may be seaping through ?

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  4. Last I heard the TDC chief exec was rallying TDC middle managers round the notion that the Tories would be the next national government. Some impartiality!

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  5. Ask not what Cllr Day has done for Thanet, rather what Thanet done for Cllr Day.

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