All eyes on city council as local elections loom

With May’s local elections fast approaching, the make-up of Canterbury City Council could soon radically change.

So the Conservative-led authority was acutely aware the eyes of residents - and its political opponents - were firmly set on its every move in 2018.

And it was a year of big decisions, none less so than the move to secure 100% ownership of Whitefriars in a deal which brought the total purchase price to just over £155 million.

Big money, in the shape of £23 million, was also spent securing 44 ex-student properties off Sturry Road, which will be converted into 63 much-needed council homes.

Both deals met with criticism and had their detractors, but by far the most contentious issue of the year has been the £9.1m multi-storey car park project in Station Road West.

Hundreds of opponents called for the development to be stalled - not least this paper itself - over concerns ranging from increased traffic and pollution, to the car park having no lifts. But the council has ploughed on regardless, with preparatory work already underway on the site.

In contrast, some of the authority’s big budget projects have not proved so divisive.

A £1.3 million roll-out of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology began in the autumn, with the city’s three park and ride sites now boasting the pioneering system.

Once completed, 16 car parks across the district will operate a ticketless system - a move which has caught the eye of other councils and so far gained praise from customers.

After securing £330,000 of government cash, the council, along with other agencies, has worked hard to combat homelessness.

The measures have seen the number of rough sleepers on the district’s streets drop from 73 to 33 in a year.

One deal the council was unable to secure was for 33 abandoned homes on the former Howe Barracks site.

The local authority was prepared to shell out hundreds of thousands of pounds to renovate the homes, but said it had been impossible to get the MOD to engage on a serious level.

It sparked scathing criticism of the MOD for its “utterly negligent” behaviour.

The deal would have brought with it much-needed social housing; a need evidenced by figures this month which show no new council homes have been built in the district in the last seven years.

Labour MP Rosie Duffield branded the inaction a “failure on all fronts”.

The much-discussed and divisive air quality action plan was put into motion in November, with new rules - including fining drivers who leave their engines running at level crossings - set to be enforced.

A water bottle refill scheme was kickstarted at a host of venues across the district in a bid to cut down on single-use and disposable plastics.

Meanwhile, counci llors approved plans for a £10 million revamp of Kingsmead Leisure Centre.

Across the road at the former Serco depot, the Canterbury Riv- erside project, which will include a new Curzon cinema, shops, restaurants and almost 500 students, flats was greenlit.

The Cockering Farm housing development in Thanington was granted permission, while the massive 4,000-home Mountfield Park scheme remains tied up by a High Court wrangle.

Over in Herne Bay, authority chiefs appealed the Secretary of State’s decision to approve the 800-home Strode Farm project, and the planned transformation of the former Tivoli arcade into an “innovative and thriving quarter” gained momentum - yet the vision still remains in its early stages.

In Whitstable, the council launched proposals to revamp the south quay shed into a mixeduse area, potentially with a harbour-based cinema coming to the town.

In the summer, it was revealed the authority intended to carry out pricey and much-needed work to a number of Canterbury’s historical buildings, including the Beaney museum, the Castle, Tower House and the Marlowe Kit building.

A £600,000 scheme to upgrade Best Lane, Orange Street and The Friars was carried out, while 10,000 free dog poo bags were installed in key locations in an attempt to reduce fouling.

A second bid to deliver an ice rink in Dane John Gardens failed once again after potential operators shunned the tender process, while Serco continued the trend of failing to hit bin collection targets despite being awarded a cash boost.

Clean-up projects along the verges of the Thanet Way and A2, which took four weeks to complete, proved to be more successful after being carried out at a cost of £40,000.

In the autumn, an ambition to move out of the Military Road council offices were revealed as the authority looks to downsize - though a favoured location for new headquarters in Canterbury is still uncertain.

It is that uncertainty which is the underlining factor for the city council as we head into the new year.

With Brexit on the horizon, and a Labour MP elected since the district last went to the polls, you’d have to be brave to guess where those 39 council seats are going in May.