Thanet council launches Your Voice online platform to get people involved in decisions

Online issues

Thanet council has launched a new online platform for people to give their views, get involved in consultations and find updated information on projects.

YourVoice.Thanet.gov.uk is currently asking for people to give feedback on the council’s draft Net Zero Strategy and to share views on Thanet as the council prepares to renew its Corporate Priorities for the next four years. T

here will also be a chance to get involved in the engagement around regeneration projects including the Margate Town Deal and Levelling Up. These will be promoted on the website and social media once they launch.

The Your Voice Thanet platform will serve as a central hub that pulls the council’s engagement and consultation activities into one easy to navigate place. It will allow people to see when there are opportunities for public participation in the many projects the council is working on. It will also help to clarify in advance the periods when the team will be working behind the scenes, in-between a project’s milestone dates, and when end of project updates will be provided.

Anyone can see the projects on the site but to participate in reviewing ideas, giving feedback on proposed projects and contributing to the decision making process on key projects, members of the local community are invited to complete a short registration process. This also means they can be contacted in the future if projects come up that align with their interests.

The online space is designed to sit alongside activities such as in-person meetings and events.

Cllr Ash Ashbee, Leader, Thanet District Council said: “We are very excited about the potential of Your Voice Thanet to fundamentally change how we engage with our residents. There are lots of people living in the district who care deeply about what happens in Thanet. We want to hear from them because their views matter.

“This is a space where local people can hear first-hand what is going on, are empowered to get involved and importantly, understand how their input has influenced our decision making.

“We need to keep building trust and demonstrating that the work we’re doing is for the benefit of the entire district. By being open and transparent we hope that people will understand some of the challenges and also help us to shape the opportunities we do have.

“The site is not a replacement for focus groups, community outreach or other kinds of in-person engagement. What it does is open up the conversation and allow people who can’t always attend things in person the chance to have their say too.”

The council says the new online space makes it easier to have an ongoing conversation about issues that affect everyone such as climate change, housing and  other priorities. Once people have signed up, they can receive updates on the projects they are interested in or hear about things that specifically affect their town or village.

Residents can sign up to access YourVoice.Thanet.gov.uk directly or via a link on the main website; thanet.gov.uk/consultations.

9 Comments

  1. Please don’t tell me that TDC expect you to have a different log in to this system than we already have for the waste and recycling and Council Tax systems ?

    Could someone please tell me I have that wrong ?

  2. What a total waste of time. This is lip service only so the tick box for consultation can be done.
    Same with KCC can anyone name any consultation where residents views have made any difference.
    I have raised concerns over schemes to be told that decisions can be made regardless of opinions in particular traffic calming. So if anyone can prove me wrong I look forward to it

  3. I share the cynicism that says that there is no point in contributing as they never listen. They just want to say that they consulted us!
    All the same, there are so few forums for most of us to put our point of view, it seems a waste not to use it.
    What else have we, letters to the local/national newspapers?
    We get to vote every few years of course, but the main Parties control who their candidates are so rigidly that there is no sense in which local views are really represented. And ,when the TV announcer moves on to a “political” news slot, it will only involve the selected spokespeople from a narrow range of acceptable political Parties. Not much debate outside of a narrow range of options.
    The Tories fit into this narrow range most successfully, of course, and tend to win elections as their views seem to “make sense” as they talk within the acceptable range of opinion.
    Labour are allowed a chance only if they give up trying and just accept the same narrow range and promise to change the faces above the grey suits but not the actual policies.
    So, as I say, why not use this new “talking shop” to express our views? There are precious few other ways to get ideas across.

    • Your views about the victims of the Manston scandal are hardly censored, Bill. They are viewed daily in the Sun, the Express, the Times and the Telegraph, and the Daily Mail. Roughly 80% of the newspapers read in Britain. Hardly censored!!
      Just because the editor of a local online news service in East Kent prefers to avoid inflammatory language it doesn’t follow that anti-immigrant views are being censored.
      After all, we have had the most anti-immigrant Home Secretaries ever in Priti Patel and Suella Braverman, both of whom appear to have given good reason to be sacked but both of whom were kept in post by recent Prime Ministers. So how can the anti-immigrant viewpoint have been censored in any meaningful way? Those views dominate the newspapers and have done for years , since the Conservatives realised that they could trash the country but just get re elected by blaming the foreigners.

  4. iirc that online (cookie dependant download link.app spy what ever)
    stores users information which could change tomorrow with more shared cookies without notice.
    TDC dont need this new idea, its nonsense as we have already paid for the best people to spend our council tax.
    Everyone who pays tdc ct should ask them for a 3 year ct forecast its allowed.

    So disappointed with TDC, really am

  5. If we dare to post anything of an ‘independent’ nature, we’ll be kept an eye on for the rest of our lives – i.e. gangstalked.

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