Sandwich Sports Hall

 

When Sandwich Sports Hall closed in August 2002, it looked bleak for this valuable facility. That was until local residents asked for Steve Ladyman’s help.

Steve put a new board together and that board, working with management company Leisure Partners, has raised £500,000 to refurbish the Centre which re-opened in March 2004.

Now with top class facilities, the Centre is open again and serving local schools and local people.

Why not pop along and see for yourself?

 

The new exercise room (top) and fitness suite (below).

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The Roads around Westwood

 

East Kent Access will do nothing to prevent congestion around Westwood. The vast majority of people looked forward to the new shopping centre —which opened in 2005—but none of us enjoy the gridlock when we cross the Island.

 

Labour says the Council should be planning roads for the future around the centre of the Island — and doing it now! These are local authority roads and it is KCC’s responsibility to improve them without delay. And TDC shouldn’t be planning more development at Westwood until they have road improvements underway.

Schools for South Thanet

 

Nothing is more important that the education of our children. Unfortunately, Kent Council is wedded to the selective system of schooling even though independent studies have shown that it is delivering worse results in Kent than similar areas! Labour wants Kent parents to call for a vote on the issue and decide the future of selection once and for all—a referendum that parents can petition for.

In the meantime, at least, thanks to the Government, we are seeing major improvements in our local school buildings. The old Ramsgate School building has been replaced by the Marlowe Academy (£20m from government and £2m from the private sector), a new school has been built to replace the Cartwright and Kelsey in Ash and Ellington High in Ramsgate has also been replaced—Labour and Steve Ladyman campaigned for all three. Dane Court are to get a major modernisation project as well but now we want major improvements for Hereson and a new site for Clarendon.

However, the County Council seem determined to push through an unpopular merger of Hereson with Ellington which would mean we have no single sex High Schools left in the area. True to form they are prioritising improvements for the Grammar Schools that maintain single sex and co-ed alternatives at Grammar level.

Night Flying from Manston

 

When the Labour Council negotiated the agreement to civilianise the airport we promised on behalf of local people that the rules on night flying would only be changed after a proper local consultation.

 

The Conservative Council reneged on that promise and made decisions about night flights behind closed doors.

 

They even failed to ensure the local Consultative Committee is working properly.

 

Labour totally supports the airport but local people, especially the ones who live under the flight path, are entitled to have their say when decisions that affect them are made.

 

Dentists in South Thanet

 

Some local people are having great difficulty registering with an NHS dentist.

 

Local MP Steve Ladyman has arranged with the Department of Health for a Dental Support Team to help the local Primary Care Trust recruit new dentists.

 

The problems across the UK have been caused by the previous government closing three dental schools but this has been addressed in the long term by the current government increasing training places by 35%. The last government also introduced an unpopular contract but this is being replaced by a new contract which has been negotiated between the NHS and the British Dental Association and which will give NHS dentistry a sustainable future.

 

Recently, local dentists have been negotiating their contracts with the Primary Care Trust and, come what may, the PCT have promised that they will ensure NHS dentists are available throughout East Kent.

 

New dentists have now opened in Sandwich, the centre of Ramsgate and between Ramsgate and Broadstairs.

 

If you want to register with an NHS dentist, or if you need

emergency treatment, just ring 01843 855460.

The Development of Ramsgate East Seafront

The proposed building on the former Pleasurama site in Ramsgate will offer some new retail facilities and a new hotel. But nothing can justify the way the Council ignored the views of local people about the design.

The Council seemed determined to press ahead with a design that had abandoned the public roof gardens originally approved and which allowed the roof structure to rise above the cliff top and block the views.

After a lot of campaigning by Labour councilors and the MP, alongside local people, the Council relented and new plans with a slightly lower roof have been submitted. But the roof finish will still not be the roof garden that local residents were promised.

Labour doesn’t expect the Council to abandon the scheme—just to return it to something more like the 2002 concept that was first accepted—a concept that preserved the cliff top views!