Historic Westgate Towers Museum to reopen

Amazing views of the city from the top of Canterbury’s historic Westgate Towers Museum will once again be on offer when it reopens to the public for the summer on Friday 4 May. The city council has been very keen to reopen the attraction to continue the work of local businessman and entrepreneur Charles Lambie following his death in January. Discussions have taken place with the executors of his estate to allow it to happen.

The museum will be open every day between 10am and 5pm until September. Entry prices will be in line with those at the council’s other museums in the city, with children and Residents Card holders going free. Any existing tickets with a six month expiry bought under Mr Lambie’s guardianship will be honoured.

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King's Hall features new live music

Herne Bay’s iconic King’s Hall will be featuring three well-known bands this summer.

Following the foyer refurbishment, The King’s Hall, paired with Herne Bay entertainment promoters Viva La Sociale, have booked quite the line up for this summer’s festivities. Featuring bands from across the nation, Herne Bay residents and visitors will be able to see some of their favourite musicians play live in their community.

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Bay's renewal plan is 'second best in Europe'

I'm intrigued by this award. I've asked the Strasbourg judges for a copy of the prize-winning bid, but they said they weren't allowed to release it. So I've asked Mr Rynne of CCC for a copy - I'll share it with you when I get it.

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Herne Bay's plans for regeneration are the second best in Europe, according to a European poll. Judges in Strasbourg voted the town's efforts into second place in the Council of Europe's Best Practice Awards for Coastal Towns.

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Kent beaches get seal of approval in new Good Beach Guide

Almost 20 Kent beaches have been given the seal of approval today in The Good Beach Guide by the Marine Conservation Society (MSC). The MCS has recommended 516 out of 754 (68%) UK bathing beaches as having excellent water quality – that's 8% more than last year. 

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Death, suicide and death threats

Drugs death suspect Craig Wallis has been found dead. Mr Wallis, 37, from Herne Bay, was arrested in connection with the death of Bay man Mark Creed. Mr Creed died of a drugs overdose in a house in Claremont Street on Saturday, March 17.

After being released on bail by police, Mr Wallis checked himself into a mental health ward at Ashford's William Harvey Hospital. But the diabetic walked out without his insulin on Wednesday, April 11. His body was discovered in Sweetwillow Wood behind the hospital last Saturday morning.

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Pier review

Well, it's all kicking off over at the Pier Trust - name-calling, playground threats, hair-pulling, you name it.

Once upon a time, the Herne Bay Pier Trust had a nice little Facebook site which people would saunter over to from time to time, to find out what was new, and add their words of wisdom and encouragement.

How times change.

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News from the end of the Pier

Herne Bay Pier Trust Newsletter

Spring 2012

Hello members,

Well, we have had a lot of coverage about the future of the pier in the local press over the last few weeks – some of it correct and some… rather misleading. So we thought our members would like to have the facts from the horse’s mouth.

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Public interest, secret debate

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the Locality Board, sounding the death knell for local democracy.

It's made up of the Canterbury City Council Executive and the 9 Kent County Council members who represent constituencies in the Canterbury District. It meets behind closed doors, and "Minutes (including a record of attendance and any conflicts of interest) will not be widely circulated".

I'll be examining the Locality Board more closely in another post.

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Service discussed behind closed doors

The fate of the district's youth centres remains a mystery, after councillors met in private to discuss the issue. A £1 million cut in funding for youth services means there could be only one Kent County Council-funded youth club left in Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay. Faversham Youth Club is also under threat.

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Gilbey slams the gutless

But there's no hint who he might be talking about. Or what they've done.

At the recent Executive meeting, Canterbury Council Leader John Gilbey laid into someone or other. He was clearly disappointed that they weren't there to take their medicine - maybe their invitation didn't arrive in time.

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Vickery-Jones showered with praise

Now here's a funny thing – at Canterbury City Council Executive on 29th March, the leader of the council, Cllr Gilbey, went out of his way to congratulate Cllr Vickery-Jones on his recent successes.

The first of these was the chaos that resulted from the re-routing of traffic around the Westgate Towers, which will probably soon be renamed the Vickery Victory Arch.

The second praiseworthy achievement was Cllr Vickery-Jones' masterful and diplomatic handling of Tesco's threatened invasion of Herne. John Gilbey gave a moving account of Cllr Vickery-Jones' single-handed triumph over the retail giant:

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