22 September 2010
Paul Watkins Hits Back!
Paul Watkins Conservative Leader of Dover District Council has hit back at suggestions by Gordon Cowan that our beloved Dover Museum would be the first to get axed under the new cuts as...
"Absolute Rubbish!" See both the news release from Labour Leader Gordon Cowan immediately below and see also all the comments further below including those from Paul Watkins himself in our comments section. Add your Comment too.
Also PaulW is here with a new information release of his own...
LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP
Dover District Council is welcoming news that an exciting proposal for a major new economic partnership for Kent and Essex has been submitted to Government.
The joint proposal for a Kent and Greater Essex Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) was submitted to Ministers earlier this month following calls from businesses. Bringing together businesses and Local Government across both counties, the LEP will promote economic growth and tackle the economic issues that matter most to businesses and residents. If successful, the proposal could lead to the creation of the largest LEP in England.
Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council said: “We whole heartedly welcome the submission by Kent and Essex for the Local Enterprise Partnership, and are very pleased to support this application. We welcome the opportunity this presents for growth in the county, and particularly East Kent and Dover District.
“Dover District is very well placed to take full advantage of all the opportunities this partnership represents, with our Growth Point status, and our Local Development Framework already approved. The possibility of a third Thames crossing will complement the strategic gateway position of Dover, and help improve the routeing of traffic through the county and beyond into Essex, complementing plans for the expansion of the Port of Dover. At the same time, this will provide an unprecedented opportunity for the private sector to take advantage of the foundations that we have in place for sustainable growth.” - ends -
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Labour go on the offensive over swingeing cuts to services.
" Among the first to go will be Dover Museum!" says Labour Leader Gordon Cowan.
The latest news release is just in from the local LABOUR GROUP.....and here we are in full...
Dover District Council (The DDC) are Derelict, Decaying, and Conservative!
Labour has reviewed Dover District’s Conservative administration’s hit-list of services programmed for cuts at a Cabinet meeting on 6 September. The report, titled “Delivering Effective Services – Shaping the Future of the District”, groups services into four categories (gold, silver, bronze and tin) of priority with “gold” being the key services to be retained.
Gordon Cowan (pictured) said: “This report spells out the end for a large number of services within the district. Not necessarily immediately, but very soon after the district council elections next May. Among the first to go will be Dover Museum and our tourism service. There are other services like community safety, regarded as a silver service to be retained if at all possible, which are dependent on the CCTV system rated as bronze, i.e. for the chop shortly. This kind of thing just doesn’t make sense, unless the letters DDC now stand for Derelict, Decaying and Conservative.”
The only services given the tin rating are – word processing, the Investors in People scheme (to improve customer care) and internal project management. All these are to be axed immediately.
Mike Eddy, Labour Group Finance spokesman on the Council, says: “The priorities given by the Conservatives to our council services are eccentric, to say the least. The focus is supposedly on economic regeneration, something which the district desperately needs but which the Conservatives spectacularly failed to deliver in the good times, and on bean counting and red tape. Facilities like Deal Pier and Dover Leisure Centre are in the firing line. None of the “services” down for an immediate cut will make any real savings and much of the council’s regeneration work has failed because internal project management was non-existent or weak at best.”
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