Time up?
Last Orders from Ezekiel, Sullivan, Wise, Hart, Clark and Aldred?
For the past four years The Cliftonville Six have served as councillors on Thanet District Council. But now is the time to reflect on their performances, for elections loom (on 3rd May). Indeed, the dog has already feasted with relish on at least one piece of party propaganda before it had even hit the doormat.
But what do we actually know of our councillors' records in office? Will we bother to find out, and will that make a difference? Or will we treat the ballot paper in much the same way as we treat the weekly Lotto ticket? If so, why not just make the election a Lucky Dip?
So many people fail to grasp the fact that in District Council Elections just a few votes cast either way can be decisive. In Cliftonville West, for example, just 136 votes separated the top six candidates in the last election. The bottom Labour candidate, Linda Aldred, won her seat by a mere 16 votes!
Full 2003 results in the Cliftonville West ward (where the turnout was just 23.9%) were:
- Clive Hart (Lab) 584 Elected
- Douglas Clark (Lab) 536 Elected
- Linda Aldred (Lab) 527 Elected
- Martin Grant (Con) 511
- William Pankhurst (Con) 508
- A. Papa-Adams (Con) 448
- David Wheatley 97
And in Cliftonville East (turnout 42.1%):
- Sandy Ezekiel (Con) 1531 Elected
- Martin Wise (Con) 1400 Elected
- Brian Sullivan (Con) 1369 Elected
- Colin Harvey (Lab) 524
- Margaret Harvey (Lab) 516
- Beryl Stapley (Lab) 471
So, do any of us have personal experience of dealings with our Councillors? If so, share them here. No comments will be moderated.
Could we, perhaps do a better job?
Nominations for this year's District Council Elections close on April 4th.
Anyone wishing to stand can find out more by contacting Thanet District Council’s Electoral helpline on 01843 577500 or by e-mailing electoral.services@thanet.gov.uk
Candidates must be at least 18 years old and must be either a British citizen or a citizen of the Commonwealth, the Irish Republic or another member state of the European Union. They must also meet one of the following four criteria on both the day of nomination and election day:
1. They are a registered local government elector
2. They have occupied, as owner or tenant, any land or premises in the local authority area during the whole of the proceeding 12 months
3. They have had their principal or only place of work in the local authority area during the whole of the proceeding 12 months
4. They have lived in the local authority area during the whole of the preceeding 12 months
Candidates must be proposed and seconded by two electors and eight assentors, all of whom must be on the Electoral Register for the Ward where the candidate plans to stand. There is no deposit payable for standing as a candidate in the District Council elections. Nomination papers must be submitted by candidates by noon on Wednesday 4 April.
3 comments:
You really are missing the point.
Had we had people on the council with vision, clout, financial acumen and who can see the "bigger picture" Margate and the surrounding district may have attracted the millions of pounds of investment it needed 40 years ago.
Had those in authority been able to re-invent Margate (as Southend has been able to do) then we may have had decent hotel stock, a rejuvenated Dreamland, a thriving Northdown Road and High Street, a marina and proper facilities for our visitors. Instead, Margate is nowadays the mother of all backwaters and the "failure capital" of the United Kingdom.
The late journalist, Ian Nairn, wrote a scathing article on Margate just a couple of weeks after the Margate v Spurs Cup tie in 1973. In the ensuing 30 or so years, things have gone from bad to worse.
Don't pay any attention to him. He lives in Finchley and thinks the Bishops Avenue is the height of chic!
mmmm.....
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