Thanet District Council
Encyclopedia
Thanet District Council is the local government
body for the Thanet district
. Its administrative centre is Margate
. It is one of the district councils in Kent
. On a national level, Thanet forms part of two parliamentary constituencies at Westminster
and is represented in Parliament by two MPs.
Isle of Thanet Rural District
was created by the Local Government Act 1894
and was abolished in 1935.
and rubbish collection. (First tier authorities have no responsibility for highways and under statute this function cannot be passed between different levels of local government.) Kent County Council
is responsible for more strategic services such as education, libraries, main roads, social services, trading standards and transport.
.
The council is a Cabinet-style council
with a Leader and the Cabinet itself, which is formed by the majority party in the District. Decisions on the Council's services are made by the Executive (or cabinet) which comprises 5 councillors. Each member of the Cabinet holds a separate portfolio. The Leader and Cabinet are responsible for policies, plans and strategies, and for recommending them to the overall Council, which is convened as a whole, at regular council meetings. The full council consists of 56 councillors.
The Cabinet is held to account by the remainder of the Councillors acting as Overview and Scrutiny
which verify that decisions are appropriate and can prevent a decision taking immediate effect.
Cabinet:
are ceremonial figures whose only real power is to chair sessions of their Councils.
es located in the district are:
The Ramsgate First candidate defected to the Conservatives shortly after the election.
http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/election_results_04-05-07.aspx http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/councils/html/29un.stm
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
body for the Thanet district
Thanet
Thanet is a local government district of Kent, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, and came into being on 1 April 1974...
. Its administrative centre is Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
. It is one of the district councils in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. On a national level, Thanet forms part of two parliamentary constituencies at Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
and is represented in Parliament by two MPs.
History
The district was formed by the merger of:- Municipal Borough of Margate
- Municipal Borough of Ramsgate
- Broadstairs and St Peter's Urban District
- Part of Eastry Rural DistrictEastry Rural DistrictEastry Rural District was a rural district in the county of Kent, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1935 when several parishes were gained from the disbanded Isle of Thanet Rural District and other parishes were reorganised.It included the following...
.
Isle of Thanet Rural District
Isle of Thanet Rural District
The Isle of Thanet Rural District was a rural district covering part of the Isle of Thanet in the county of Kent, England, from 1894 to 1935. Most of its former area is now part of the Thanet district....
was created by the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
and was abolished in 1935.
Responsibilities
Thanet district council is responsible for providing clear leadership to the community and to continuously improve the delivery of local services. These services include: leisure, environmental health, housing — including the provision of social housing and housing benefitHousing Benefit
Housing Benefit is a means tested social security benefit in the UK that is intended to help meet Housing costs for rented accommodation. The primary legislation governing Housing Benefit is the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992. Operationally, the governing Regulations are...
and rubbish collection. (First tier authorities have no responsibility for highways and under statute this function cannot be passed between different levels of local government.) Kent County Council
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
is responsible for more strategic services such as education, libraries, main roads, social services, trading standards and transport.
Electoral wards
The district is divided into 23 electoral wards, mainly located in the coastal resorts of Margate, Cliftonville, Broadstairs and Ramsgate.Organisation
The powers of the council are specified in its constitution http://www.thanet.gov.uk/pdf/Constitution%20for%20Governance%20of%20Thanet%20District%20Council_Feb07.pdf in accordance with the Local Government Act 2000Local Government Act 2000
The Local Government Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales. Its principal purposes are:...
.
The council is a Cabinet-style council
Cabinet-style council
A Cabinet-style Council is a type of local government which has been introduced in the United Kingdom for Local Councils following the introduction of the Local Government Act 2000....
with a Leader and the Cabinet itself, which is formed by the majority party in the District. Decisions on the Council's services are made by the Executive (or cabinet) which comprises 5 councillors. Each member of the Cabinet holds a separate portfolio. The Leader and Cabinet are responsible for policies, plans and strategies, and for recommending them to the overall Council, which is convened as a whole, at regular council meetings. The full council consists of 56 councillors.
The Cabinet is held to account by the remainder of the Councillors acting as Overview and Scrutiny
Overview and Scrutiny
Overview and Scrutiny is a function of local authorities in England and Wales. It was introduced by the Local Government Act 2000 which created separate Executive and Overview and Scrutiny functions within councils....
which verify that decisions are appropriate and can prevent a decision taking immediate effect.
Current council
Chairman:- Councillor Douglas Clark http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/douglasclark
Cabinet:
- Leader of Council, Cllr Robert Bayford http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/robertbayford
- Deputy Leader of Council, Cllr Martin Wise http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/martinwise
- Councillor Alasdair Bruce http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/alasdairbruce
- Councillor Simon Moores http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/simonmoores
- Councillor Chris Wells http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/chriswells
Mayors
Elected mayorsElected mayors in the United Kingdom
Directly elected mayors are council leaders elected by the general electorate of a council area for local government, instead of being appointed by members of a local authority, which is common in the United Kingdom. The Elected Mayor is elected from a number of candidates who put themselves up for...
are ceremonial figures whose only real power is to chair sessions of their Councils.
- Mayor of Margate: Councillor Iris Johnston http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/irisjohnston
- Mayor of Ramsgate: Councillor David Green http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/davidgreen
- Mayor of Broadstairs: Councillor David Saunders http://councillors.thanet.gov.uk/sites/davidsaunders
Officers
Councillors are responsible for the appointment and oversight of officers, who are delegated to perform most tasks. The Chief Executive Officer, has overall responsibility for council employees and operates in conjunction with department heads.- Chief Executive Officer: Dr Sue McGonigal
Parishes
The civil parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
es located in the district are:
- AcolAcol, KentAcol is a hamlet and civil parish about south of Birchington in Kent, England. It is one of the smallest communities in Kent, and over the years large parts of the parish have been transferred to other neighbouring communities...
- Birchington
- BroadstairsBroadstairsBroadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about south-east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St. Peter's and had a population in 2001 of about 24,000. Situated between Margate and...
- CliffsendCliffsendCliffsend is a village and civil parish situated almost west of Ramsgate, Kent, United Kingdom, in the Thanet local government district.Hengist and Horsa landed near here in 410AD, and St Augustine in 597.Pegwell Bay Country Park is located here...
- ManstonManston, KentManston is a village and civil parish in the Thanet district of Kent, England. The village is situated one mile north-west of Ramsgate. The parish includes four hamlets and Kent International Airport.-Etymology:...
- MinsterMinster-in-ThanetMinster-in-Thanet, also known as Minster, is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. The village is situated to the west of Ramsgate and to the north east of Canterbury; it lies just south west of Kent International Airport and just north of the River Stour...
- MonktonMonkton, KentMonkton is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. The village is located at the south-western edge of the Isle of Thanet and is situated mainly along the B2047 road, leading off the A263 road between Canterbury and Ramsgate. The civil parish stretches south to the...
- St Nicholas at WadeSt Nicholas at WadeSt Nicholas-at-Wade is a both a village and a civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. The parish had a recorded population of 782 at the 2001 Census...
and SarreSarre, KentSarre is a village and civil parish in Thanet District in Kent, England. The village is a part of St. Nicholas-at-Wade ecclesiastical parish, after having lost the local church of St. Giles in Elizabethan times; the ecclesiastical parishes were subsequently combined. In its own right Sarre is an...
Elections and the democratic process
Elections are held every four years. The last council election took place on 3 May 2011 and the next election is due in May 2015.May 2007 election results
- Overall turnout: 35%.
- The Conservative Party held control of Thanet District Council with 33 seats, the Labour Party took 19 seats. There were 3 independents and 1 candidate from Ramsgate First also elected.
The Ramsgate First candidate defected to the Conservatives shortly after the election.
http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/election_results_04-05-07.aspx http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/councils/html/29un.stm
May 2003 election results
- Overall turnout: 33%
- Note: After the by-election 30/10/03 composition is now Conservative Party 30 seats, Labour Party 24 seats.
- The Conservative Party won control of Thanet District Council with a total of 31 seats, the Labour Party taking 23 seats. One Liberal Democrat candidate and one Independent candidate were elected.
May 1999 election results
- Overall turnout: 28.9%
- Labour maintained control of Thanet District Council with a total of 35 seats, the Conservatives recovered to 16 seats, Liberal Democrat candidate were wipped out and 3 Independent candidate were elected.
May 1995 election results
- Overall turnout: 40.2%
- The Labour Party won control of Thanet District Council with a total of 45 seats, the Conservatives were reduced to 3 seats and 4 Liberal Democrat candidates and 2 Independent candidate were elected.
May 1991 election results
- Overall turnout: 41.5%
- The Conservative Party retook control of Thanet District Council with a total of 29 seats, the Labour Party taking 14 seats, 2 Liberal Democrat candidate and 9 Independent candidate were elected.
May 1987 election results
- Overall turnout: 44.8%
- The Conservative Party lost enough seats to lose the council to No Overall Control (NOC). Conservatives had 25 seats, the Labour Party took 7 seats, 10 Liberal Democrat and 12 Independent candidates were elected.
May 1983 election results
- Overall turnout: 44.1%
- The Conservative Party lost seats but continued in control of Thanet District Council with a total of 28 seats, the Labour Party took 8 seats, 2 Liberal Democrat candidate and 16 Independent candidates elected.
May 1979 election results
- Overall turnout: 71.1% (the election co-incided with the General Election.
- The Conservative Party continued to control the Council with a total of 32 seats, the Labour Party reduced to 5 seats, one Liberal Democrat candidate and 16 Independent candidates were elected.
May 1976 election results
- Overall turnout: 47.7%
- The Conservative Party kept control of Thanet District Council with a total of 39 seats, the Labour Party taking 11 seats and 13 Independent candidate were elected.
May 1973 election results
- The council was created from Margate Municipal Borough, Ramsgate Municipal Borough, Broadstairs & St Peters Urban District and parts of Eatry Rural District.
- Overall turnout: 44.2%
- The Conservative Party won control of Thanet District Council with a total of 33 seats, the Labour Party taking 14 seats, Liberals 5 seats, and there was eleven Independent candidates elected.
History of control
| Election | Party | |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 United Kingdom local elections, 1973 The first elections to the new local authorities established by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales and the new Northern Ireland district councils created by the Local Government Act 1972 took place in 1973... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 1976 United Kingdom local elections, 1976 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom on 6 May 1976. Elections were for one third of the seats on Metropolitan borough councils and for all seats on Non-Metropolitan district councils in England; and for all seats on the Welsh district councils.... |
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| 1979 United Kingdom local elections, 1979 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in May 1979. The results provided some source of comfort to the Labour Party, who recovered some lost ground from local election reversals in previous years, despite losing the general election to the Conservative Party on the same day.Labour gained... |
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| 1983 United Kingdom local elections, 1983 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1983. The results were a success for Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who soon afterwards called a general election in which the Conservatives won a landslide victory... |
Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
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| 1987 United Kingdom local elections, 1987 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1987. The projected share of the vote was Conservatives 38%, Labour 32%, Liberal-SDP Alliance 27%. Soon after the elections, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher called a general election which resulted in a Conservative landslide.The number of... |
No overall control No overall control Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament... |
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| 1991 United Kingdom local elections, 1991 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1991. In terms of seats, the results were a setback for the governing Conservative Party, who were left with their lowest number of councillors since 1973 - though in terms of popular vote it was an improvement from the 1990 local elections, and... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 1995 United Kingdom local elections, 1995 The 1995 United Kingdom local elections took place on 4 May 1995. The Conservative Party lost over 2,000 councillors in the election, while the Labour Party won 48% of the vote, a record high for the party in local elections.... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
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| 1999 United Kingdom local elections, 1999 Local elections took place in much of the United Kingdom on 6 May 1999. All Scottish and Welsh unitary authorities had all their seats elected. In England a third of the seats on each of the Metropolitan Boroughs were elected along with elections in many of the unitary authorities and district... |
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| 2003 United Kingdom local elections, 2003 Local elections took place in various parts of the United Kingdom on 1 May 2003, the same day as the Scottish Parliamentary and the Welsh Assembly elections. There were local elections for all councils in Scotland and in most of England... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 2007 United Kingdom local elections, 2007 The 2007 UK local government elections were held on 3 May 2007. These elections took place in most of England and all of Scotland. There were no local government elections in Wales though the Welsh Assembly had a general election on the same day. There were no local government elections in Northern... |
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| 2011 United Kingdom local elections, 2011 The 2011 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 2011. In England, direct elections were held in all 36 Metropolitan boroughs, 194 Second-tier district authorities, 49 unitary authorities and various mayoral posts, meaning local elections took place in all parts of England with... |
No overall control No overall control Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament... |
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