Filmmaker Ken Loach to speak at Thanet Assembly meeting in Broadstairs

Award-winning filmmaker Ken Loach will speak about the future of Thanet at an event in Broadstairs on Monday 27 October at 6.30pm.

Mr Loach, whose films include: “Cathy Come Home”. “Kes” and “I, Daniel Blake” is the special guest speaker at a meeting which has been called by the new Thanet Assembly group to discuss the area’s most pressing issues.

One of the meeting organisers, Norman Thomas, who comes from Broadstairs said: “Ken Loach is famous for the many films he has made about Britain’s social problems, so he’s absolutely the best person we could have to speak at our meeting.”

The emphasis will be on local community involvement and Mr Thomas is hoping to provide links so that people who can’t make the meeting in person can take part remotely.

Mr Thomas said: “We want to give people a chance to get together to discuss how things like the cost of living crisis and international instability are affecting people locally and what we can do about them.”

Mr Thomas (pictured) is an educational film-maker and several of his productions have been shown in Thanet’s cinemas.

He said: “In the past we have shown films that highlighted Thanet’s environmental problems, the long-running saga of Manston airport and the poor living conditions of many people here.

“These screenings invariably provoked really valuable discussions. I’m sure our forthcoming meeting will be just as productive.”

One of the items on the agenda, Mr Thomas said, will be the new group, Your Party, which is being launched in November. Your Party, Mr Thomas said, is promising to take a “bottom-up” grassroots approach and he believes this will have a special appeal to many in the area.

He said: “I’m  not sure how Your Party will fare, but it seems to me that many people are totally fed up with the current political set-up and will want to know what this new group has to offer.

“When I first came to Thanet over 30 years ago the area faced problems of high unemployment, lack of housing, and concerns over racism and immigration.

“Though there’s been many changes since, these issues are still with us today. We have to tackle these things as a community and I hope this meeting will be the first of many to discuss what we can do.”

Other speakers include Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi of the Jewish Voice for Liberation group and Thanet4Palestine campaigner Daisy Keens.

The meeting is at 6.30pm on Monday 27 October at the Queens Road Baptist Church, Broadstairs CT10 1NU. Email [email protected] to say you are coming or wish to link up remotely.