Canterbury councillor Roger Matthews acquitted...

... but developer Julian Brealy convicted

A Kent property developer has been warned he could be facing a jail sentence after a jury convicted him of corruption. The verdict on Julian Brealy came shortly after Canterbury city councillor Roger Matthews was acquitted of the charge.

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£20k down a small hole

Just to quickly refresh your memory, dear reader, we are living in times of budget cuts and belt-tightening. There has been widespread local coverage of Canterbury City Council slashing, cutting, trimming and salami slicing. In the expectation that their central funding will be reduced, CCC has been wielding the knife on all but the biggest projects. It came as an unwelcome surprise to me that CCC was proposing to make a £20,000 "contribution to hospitality for the Open Golf Tournament at Sandwich".

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HB Councillors, by Ward

Full contact details...

If you're not sure which Ward you're in, visit: www.canterbury.gov.uk/whatward.php

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Non-HB Councillors

Full contact details...

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A flattering picture

Unspoilt and unassuming, Herne Bay relishes its enviable location on the glorious north Kent coast. With its splendid seafront, beautifully restored bandstand, Victorian heritage, variety of local shops and glorious countryside, Herne Bay presents an unrivalled opportunity to sample the delights of an attractive seaside resort. Even the weather smiles on Herne Bay and it ranks high in national sunshine league tables.

It was a favourite with Victorians who founded the town and came to breathe in the health-giving air or bathe in its invigorating waters. With its miles of safe beaches, wide promenade, seafront gardens and restored bandstand, Herne Bay is enjoying a deserved renaissance. National awards given by the Environmental Campaigns Group (ENCAMS) reflect the high standards of the local beaches. Central Beach has been granted a Resort Beach Flag for the fifth year and Herne Bay West, Tankerton and Reculver have Rural Beach awards.

There is plenty to enjoy in Herne Bay – from listening to the band on a sunny Sunday afternoon to bargain hunting in the local shops; from a morning’s fishing to an exhilarating day’s sailing, from uncovering history to exploring the coast and countryside.

From: HBTP

Windfarm info

Trips to the wind farm are available with Bayblast. For more information: Tel: 01227 373372 or visit www.bayblast.co.uk

The Kentish Flats wind farm, off of Herne Bay is a key element of the British Government's commitment to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide seeking to reverse the trends of climate change. The wind farm is arranged in a regular grid of five east-west rows each of six turbines, sited in an area of 10 km². The spacing between each turbine and rows of turbines is be 700 metres. The nearest of them is about 8km (5 miles) offshore.

The wind farm comprises 30 efficient wind turbines capable of producing up to 3 MW of electricity each, so that the total output of the wind farm could be up to 90 MW. The offshore wind farm has set a dual record: the 30 turbine project was the largest wind turbine so far installed in the UK, and the farm was the largest wind farm in the UK, at 90 MW rated capacity, at the erection time.

The First Pier

In 1830 two London businessmen visiting the area came up with an inspired idea. One of these entrepreneurs, George Burge, had recently worked for the great engineer Thomas Telford on the construction of St Katherine's Dock. Burge knew that the shallow water near the shore meant that any passengers wishing to land and take the waters had to be brought across in beach boats known as hoys, an uncomfortable and inelegant method of travel. He also knew that a similar problem across the Thames Estuary in Essex had recently been solved by the building of a landing stage more than a mile long which allowed passengers to disembark from paddle steamers and walk or ride on a cart towards the growing resort at the end, becoming known as Southend.

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The Second Pier

There were mixed feelings in the town as to whether a replacement pier should be built, but eventually the Herne Bay Promenade Pier Company financed a very modest structure at a cost of £2,000. Designed by Wilkinson & Smith the new pier was erected purely with promenading in mind, and extended only to a length of 320ft (97m), with a small bandstand at the end. It was opened on 27 August 1873 by the Lord Mayor of London.

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The Third Pier

In 1892 visits by shallow draft steamers began as an experiment to see how popular a new service would be and by 1895 ambitious plans were underway for a new deep-water pier capable of handling regular steamers. Work on the new iron structure began in 1896. When it was finished this would be the second longest pier in the country, running 3,787 feet (1147m) out to sea and requiring a small railway to carry the passengers and their luggage to shore.

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Think like an idiot

Dear reader, I know thinking like an idiot is not one of your natural strengths, but I thought it would be helpful for you to see the world through different eyes. Dull, unfocussed, short-sighted eyes that see only a small part of whole. When you have read the article at the link below, it will be much easier for you to understand the dafter things you read and hear.

Oh, no! It's making well-reasoned arguments backed with facts! Run!