Marsh Future and Shepway Roads up for Debate at Council Meeting.

The future of Romney Marsh and the Kent County Council’s (KCC) care of Shepway’s roads are to be debated at a Council meeting this Wednesday.

These and other motions, which include congratulating Hythe Council for an honour bestowed on Michael Howard, look likely to generate heated debate in the Civic Chamber.

For Opposition Business the Liberal Democrat group has raised ‘The future of tourism on Romney Marsh.’

Concerns for the Marsh economy have been growing since the government’s decision in 2009 to not consider Dungeness as a site for a new nuclear power station. The Liberal Democrats have been promoting the idea of a tourism-centred economy for the Marsh which is at odds with Conservative calls for a new power station to be built.

15 minutes is allowed for the discussion of opposition business.

The Conservative group has raised three motions.

The first calls for the council to congratulate Hythe Town Council ‘on its admirable decision to bestow the honour of Freeman of Hythe Town upon the Rt. Hon. Michael Howard QC, MP, in recognition of his distinguished and dedicated service over 27 years to the Town, and to the entire Folkestone and Hythe constituency.’

Senior Liberal Democrat sources have told FUTS of their concerns that in the 27 years of Mr Howard as Folkestone and Hythe MP, some areas of Shepway have failed to rise out of the top 10% of most deprived wards in the country.

Previous debates have seen the Liberal Democrat group accuse the Conservatives of ‘backslapping’ and their reaction to this motion may be similar.

A second motion urges Stagecoach to ensure timetables are present in all bus stops and vandalism is repaired.

The third motion ‘compliments’ and ‘congratulates’ KCC for its gritting of primary routes during the recent bad weather and is ‘grateful’ for communication with residents via radio and television.

The motion then grows more critical of the Conservative led KCC. ‘This Council, however, hopes that KCC might in future extend its activities to incorporate a rather larger number of rural country lanes, and suggests that it should reconsider its current policy where if a road is not included on a salting route it will not then be considered again until the next annual review during the following summer.

‘Once the snow and ice have finally gone, this Council hopes that KCC will turn its attention with some rapidity to the urgent and overdue repair of the growing number of potholes appearing in roads across the District. This in turn implies the need for more regular inspections and surveys, and a greater commitment to redressing the accumulating problems and hazards.’

Up to 60 minutes is allowed for each motion. Discussions on Forrester’s Way car park and land at West Hythe Beach will then be discussed without members of the press or public present due to the likely disclosure of ‘exempt information’, such as confidential commercial information.

The meeting is this Wednesday in the Council Chamber in the Civic Centre at 7pm.