Margate through rose coloured specs

A few people have been talking up Margate recently which is not such a bad thing especially with the Turner Contemporary opening soon on April 16th. It's been a long wait and for those people who opened their business' in time for the aborted first Turner attempt it's been even longer.

It's true that 'Old Margate' has started to look better recently, even though there are still many empty shops the Council have done a reasonable job in tarting up a few of the derelict buildings opposite the TC and allowing local artists to display their work in empty shop windows in and around the High Street.

The trouble is when you take the rose coloured specs off and have a really good look around the area the deep rooted problems of Margate smack you in the face, unemployment is running at 15% and when you add in those on sickness benefits and the many people who scrape by on part time and casual work the situation is a lot worse. Unemployment has doubled in Thanet in the last two years.

There is REAL poverty in the area and it spreads right out of Margate and into West Cliftonville, I can't remember in all the time I have lived in Thanet when I have seen so many people suffering obvious financial hardship. On the flip side over the same period there has been massive improvements in local housing and property development. Banks were falling over themselves giving out relatively cheap loans and thousands of Thanet home owners upgraded their properties and new developments replaced many of the old run down hotels.

Unfortunately investment and jobs in the area just didn't follow, whether you blame the local council or look elsewhere to point the finger it will need more than just the Turner Contemporary to turn this area around and I hope local politicians don't throw all their eggs into one basket. .

Apparently 37% of shops in Margate are empty, incredibly rents and rates for these businesses are as high as ever, surely at some point something can be done to attract new business to this area with a 1st year rent/rate reduction or a similar compensation, Margate has got to attract the small entrepreneur back to the High Street in greater numbers.

A bigger problem is how to replace the massive loss of Dreamland to the area. I haven't heard one local politician standing for election in May even mention it, maybe they should all stop squabbling among themselves and concentrate on the real issues.