It comes as no surprise that there's no credible or effective complaints system at Manston as reported on the front page of Your Thanet today- given the removal of the noise monitors and absence of air monitors.
No monitors. No data. no problem.
No complaints system. No complaints.
Perfect.
Yet this is hardly new. Infratil removed the monitors with the assistance of TDC in 2006: from a tower block and a school.
Infratil have owned Manston since August 2005: complaints are still not accurately recorded - only a telephone answering machine?
Richard Samuel and Brian White of TDC have sat on KIACC for the same period including a spell as Chair.
What have they been doing in this bizarrre game of Emperor's New Clothes with public safety?
Imagine TDC approving the fire alarms on a building by removing them. And then reporting each month that the fire systems are fine and data will be provided next month.
For months.
And years.
On public time and money.
Next there'll be suggestions of the public not Infratil paying for these basic airport safeguards for Infratil to do business. As an airport.
Or that they're "appropriate measures" by not being in place.
Clealrly there has been a political blind eye turned by several councillors and civil servants to allow the airport to develop without the required safety procedures.
Where are the Council minutes on removing noise monitors?
As the Dept of Transport rightly confirmed in 1993 Manston can't develop from an RAF base to a commercial airport as it's too near the towns. The commercial trade-off for 85 jobs at present and 250,000 people around East Kent simply doesn't fly.
All the required safety measures - if you use them - restrict it.
Especially when the cargo airport is opposite Ostend cargo airport.
And Manston is built on the East Kent drinking water supply.
And Infratil have repeatedly been polluting Pegwell Bay.
None of this comes as a surprise to KIACC or councillors.
Clearly the Tories have fallen in line with the KCC's Cabinet's wish for a glory project and the Labour councillors maybe do think that 85 jobs can become hundreds of forklift truck drivers or night flight cargo handlers.
Infratil don't: they've confirmed the airport is bust. No jobs for the current 85 staff.
As happened with EUJet.
And Planestation before it.
And the RAF base airlines before that.
And even the RAF itself.
Maybe along with MP's expenses and China Gateway and the elusive Election Ferry the regeneration problem is the councillors and civil servants themselves clutching at foolish and old-fashioned straws.
Are we employing a mix of fools and yesterday's men?
Even to the extent of endangering their own costituents with lax safety controls - as at Thor too.
Have they even failed to control public sector costs: spiralling wage increases and museums being closed? Or public services reduced into the voluntary sector?
Car parks seem the only council regeration plan: cheap to make and produces an income. Maybe some warehouses with SEEDA money.
Less and less but paying more and more.
Hurrah for Roger Gale and Julian Brazier though: they've agreed to David Cameron's demand for MP's to publish all their expenses by doing so - after the elections. Although Roger may need to "hire someone extra" to help him apparently.
And you thought EKO and fake 0% salary increases was bad value.
Along with MP's costs: no announcement on TDC councillor expenses and salaries as yet.
Nor the Scores on the Doors of the cost of each public sector department. And quangos.
100% funded by the public, the information should be made available to scrutiny.
Vote tomorrow and remember there's no votes in poisoning your own citizens.
Failed. Failed. Failed.
Time For Change.
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