Thanet has missed out on government funding to help bring empty High Street shops back into use in what the council is calling a real travesty.

The government announced earlier today (Friday 30 March) that they would be allocating £10 million to 100 districts across the country from their High Street Innovation Fund Grant. This will support new business start-ups, whilst bringing empty High Street properties back into use.

Thanet has not been included in this list of 100 districts, despite Margate regularly being named amongst the worst in the UK for its level of empty shops.

Councils were not asked to apply for this money. It was instead allocated by the government using business rate returns. These look at the business rates collected across a whole district for all commercial, industrial and retail units and warehousing. This is then compared with how much business rate relief has been given to empty commercial units throughout an area. This method of calculation does not focus on High Street empty shop levels.

Leader of the Council, Cllr. Clive Hart, said: To me, this is a real travesty. I cannot believe that Thanet is not going to receive any of this money, given our well documented issues with empty shops. Margate is sadly all too often in the national news headlines, perhaps sometimes unfairly, for having some of the highest levels of empty shops in the country. To hear that £10 million is being allocated by the government to tackle this problem and we are not receiving any of this is exceptionally disappointing to say the least.

He added: The way they have calculated this does not give a true measure of empty shops on the High Street and, as such, we feel this is a very unfair way of deciding who should receive the money. I sincerely hope that the next round of Portas funding, which all our three towns are applying for, will see success for Thanet, as the area desperately needs the additional funding on offer.

Payam Tamiz who previously stood down as a Conservative candidate for Thanet District Council has lost his case against Google over comments that were published about him.

Payam Tamiz stood down after reportedly refering to Thanet women as sluts took umbridge with comments about him posted to a blogger.com blog. Blogger being owned by Google Payam Tamiz sued Google for the comments.

Google Wins UK Blogger.com Libel Case

Google has emerged victorious in a libel case brought about by former Tory local council candidate Payam Tamiz, after defamatory comments were reportedly written about him on a London Muslim blog hosted on its Blogger platform.

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Just a reminder to all our readers not to be taken in by the new spate of scam phone calls.

Virus phone scam being run from call centres in India | Technology | The Guardian

Britons targeted by cold callers pretending to be from Microsoft phoning to fix a fake computer problem

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Both supermarkets hoping to build new stores in the area have began recruiting in anticipation of overcoming objections and obtaining planning permission.

Applications forms from both stores have been circulated in local Job Centres even though planning has yet to be decided.

The public inquiry into the Tesco planning application is still underway. The application has split local opinion with both support and strong opposition to the plans.

Likewise Sainsbury's has had petitions of hundreds of names objecting to the store.

In the article liked below I outline my personal opinion on the subject and some of the underlying forces at work in Thanet.

The Thanet Star » Tesco and Sainsbury's recruiting already.

Tesco and Sainsbury's have began recruiting for roles in the yet to be granted planning permission new buildings.In a bit of a Thanet Star exclusive I can tell you that the two potential new supermarkets are expectantly seeking workers for the stores that they are planning. I know this as the Job Centre in Margate has provided me with application forms to fill out for these yet-to-be-built stores.Does this suggest that regardless of local protests and official objections the supermarkets confiden...

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Should we ban spitting in public as has been suggested by Cllr Chris Irvine.

Enfield Council in London recently has made moves to fine spitters £80 each and now there is the suggestion that we in Kent should do likewise. Should we ban spitting in public?

Councillor calls for spitting ban

Cllr Chris Irvine, a Conservative ward councillor, spoke out after Enfield Council in London moved to fine spitters £80 each. The by-law will be the first in Britain for 22 years if it is approved by local government secretary Eric Pickles.

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Thanet District Council have announced that waste and recycling services will soon be back to normal.

The council said in a press release that both blue and black bins will be collected this week to clear the backlog.

Residents on the wheeled bin scheme who did not get their waste or recycling collected last week, are being asked to put out both bins this week.

The environmentally conscious should not that while both blue and black bins will be collected at the same time to clear the backlog it will all go to landfill.

It is suggested that where possible people could hold onto their recycling until the next scheduled blue bin collection.

Paper & cardboard and clinical collections will resume normal service this week.