Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
I was asked this morning to take part in a Radio Kent discussion during John Warnett's breakfast show tomorrow, as I am involved in the St James development as a landowner who is in negotiations with the council, and have also previously been quite vocal on both radio and TV about the foot-dragging which has gone on for years. I declined on the grounds that until Thursday when the plans go on public view I shall have been unable to form an opinion on them so have nothing more to say than when I last had a public moan on the subject.
What would I do? I would replace most senior council officers with half as many managers with commercial experience and contacts in industry and finance. If the council has to remain officer-led, (which it will always be with so many councillors and so much political infighting) let it be led by business people not local government functionaries.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Thanks Jim
Not sure if that is legal Peter - how do you get rid of someone in a job just to get someone better
Been nice knowing you :)
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
peter
i share your view on the senior officers
but not who to replace them with
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
the main functions of many of the top officers would be the buying in of goods and services.
the job then would be to head hunt people with a proven track record of doing the above for a large organisation.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Paul you are beginning to sound like a council officer yourself.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
jim post 60
you certainly know how to get along with people.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Couldn't it also be said then that only councilllors with commercial experience should also be voted in??
I do agree though that there are a lot of council officers that don't have experience of the 'real world' and have learnt the hard way.....
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Who would you replace them with Keith?
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 705- Registered: 23 Sep 2010
- Posts: 661
With reference to Roger W's comments on this thread,Folkestone have just launched a Tourism and Heritage forum.Apparently Thanet already run a brilliant one. A champion is nominated from both spheres to chair and advise the organisation and the idea is to formulate joint strategies and with one voice present them to the powers that be with maximum impact. Perhaps Dover should consider doing the same...
Never give up...
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Many other Towns seem to embrace new initiatives, so good luck to Folkestone.
I thought their Town Centre Manager, a chap called John Barber, was also in charge of Tourism and doing quite well for the Town; maybe he resigned or was dismissed for some reason - it does happen.
I do think that anyone who heads such a group should be paid, it is not easy, or successful, instructing someone to do certain things if he/she is a volunteer.
In Dover, it has been tried, but either the person/people was/were wrong, or the organisations supposedly running it, were just not capable of running it, or had no idea what to do and couldn't tell the difference between a bad or a good idea.
I know what to do and what needs to be done to make Dover a destination, but I guess I have upset/grumbled/urged too strongly, to people about what should be done and so will never be offered (again) to do this for Dover.
That's O.K. with me (now) I accept that will never be the case, but Dover as a Town, a viable destination for visitors and tourists, as well as a business community and of course home for many thousands of people, cannot wait much longer for the stakeholders to come together and form something to move the Town forward.
As I've said before the big regeneration is coming and not too far off now, but it is the ground-floor stuff that needs organising and doing. Nothing is scheduled for the Market Square, Cannon Street and Biggin Street, the roads off and roads further up, like the High Street and London Road.
If anything is being done, it is small scale and done by the individual businesses, no real help for any of them.
Roger
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
How many of you have been listening to the programme re DTIZ on Radio Kent .Very negative interviews.
How many of you will visit The Discovery Centre to see the new plans ?.
The negative views re our senior offices is uncalled for.
Some of the people who were interviewed still donot know the difference between the District and Town Council.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
very vague susan.
if we have not heard the programme we cannot respond to your first question.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Noticed that too Sue
Sad that people are knocking things that they haven't even seen - I look forwards to seeing the plans myself....
Been nice knowing you :)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
looks like the interview will be a well kept secret.
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
Sue
there is such a feeling of deja vu about all this that it is hard to summon up any enthusiasm.
There's a great story about a boy called Peter and a wolf..................
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
sue,thats the first i've heard about the plans in the discovery center,and i do not listen to radio kent.so i cant pass a comment on either.
Guest 715- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 2,438
Not sure how you do it but Radio Kent programmes can be listened to again from their website, at least they can while we still have a Radio Kent!
Audere est facere.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Sue for many years councillors have promised the earth to the people of Dover and have delivered...........nothing serious on the regeneration front. Delivery of projects is the job of the council officers under the oversight of councillors. The fact that nothing has been achieved means that either 1. we have the wrong people in those jobs or 2. they may be the right people but have been given the wrong set of priorities. Every time I look out of our back windows I am reminded of this. To me the fact that Burlington House still stands is a huge Q.E.D.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
People always forget point 3 - they cannot do anything withough the commercial money, if companies don't want to invest in Dover, no matter how DDC try they cannot make them !!!!!
Been nice knowing you :)
