Margate Town Deal Board to be created to spearhead £25million regeneration project

Margate

A Margate Town Deal Board is being created by Thanet council following an announcement that the town was one of 101 earmarked for a share of a £3.6billion government fund.

In September, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) announced Margate was in the running for up to £25million to drive economic development, focusing on urban regeneration, improved transport, better broadband connectivity, skills and culture.

As part of this, the council is recruiting a Chairperson for the new board to set out a vision for the town’s economic growth, coordinate resources and engage with a variety of stakeholders.

The Chairperson must bring together a Town Deal Board that represents the community, including business, philanthropists, investors, universities, colleges, the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Jobcentre Plus, civic society and all tiers of local government.

The Board will be tasked with producing an evidence based Town Investment Plan by the summer of 2020.

Cllr Ruth Duckworth (pictured), Cabinet Member for Corporate Governance & Coastal Development at Thanet District Council said: “This marks the next phase of Margate’s regeneration journey. We’ve seen first-hand the transformative impact that investment in culture can bring and we welcome this commitment from the government to help our town thrive.

“The birthplace of the British seaside has undergone a renaissance of late and the town is enjoying a positive perception. This is an important ‘pull’ factor that the Board can utilise when attracting business and private investment. Margate has a strong heritage and sense of place, and benefits from cultural and civic assets which makes the town an attractive place to live, work, visit and invest in. I would encourage anyone who is interested to apply for the position of Chair and help Margate realise its full economic potential.”

The  Towns Fund is to boost places that have proud industrial and economic heritage but have not always benefitted from economic growth in the same way as more prosperous areas.

The chairperson job description can be found here.

For those interested in applying, expressions of interest are requested in writing by close of business on Monday, February 10.

Applications should reflect how, and to what extent, all criteria are met.  For further information contact Louise Askew, Strategic Partnerships Manager on 01843 577178 or [email protected].

8 Comments

  1. Let’s hope the chair when they are appointed has a demonstrable connection with the area and can combine independent thinking with a sense of personal and professional integrity . Most residents have a justifiable degree of scepticism with anything senior officers of TDC and for that matter also most members are involved where large amounts of public cash is concerned ,With justification .

  2. 5 million on the seafront and toilets
    10+ million on the wintergardens ( make it an asset not an eyesore)
    divvy whats left up amongst good causes, that have a tangible community benefit for all,

    Keep TDC’s hands off it being used for their pet projects , as happened in the Dalby Square project , where the council was the biggest single beneficiary with what it took out for the “wall” and carpark removal.

  3. Hopefully the majority of this fund wont disappear into the deep pockets of the council, to be spent on “development expenses”

  4. Bet they include a new 3 million office facility for a bloated staff of Tdc.

    For a tiny population we have a very large coucil staff.

    Cuts, cuts cuts please.

    • Not sure but i think the “bloated staff” were helped when the “tea trolley” went and vending machines were reassessed.

    • Ramsgate had the attention back in the 90’s , renewal schemes , heritage grants, Wellington Crescent had a fortune spent on it, but it was just then left to decay again, it has the huge asset of the harbour, a good beach ( much depleted after being used for the port extension).
      Addington street is ramsgates own little artists quarter. Eventually it’ll decay enough and the pendulum will swing back , margate then deprived of the lifeblood of public money will resort to its historic norm of slow decline, and the money will go to ramsgate which will feed from the trough enthusiastically.
      Back and forth it’ll go as,it always has, thanet needs decent jobs and a significant rise in the average household income, a sub 1 hour connection to london. The last of which would turn the isles fortunes around in 5 years, but will likely never happen due to the cost.
      So instead we’ll continue to be a convenient area to relocate those displaced from other areas.

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