Blog Clue (blogclue.com) is a cross between a wiki and a search engine. Much like the more famous examples you can use it's URL structure to point tags at. Tags (in case you have been living under a rock) are a way of marking blog posts (and other things). To qualify for the tag micro format the link URL must be the same text as the linked text from the last slash to the end. Lots of sites have suitable structures media wiki installations like the wikipedia are one such example. Blog Clue is another. The page for Thanet was, until today, lacking a reasonable write up. Even after my modest attempts I am sure there is more that can be said. Therefore I am going to make it a minor mission of mine to encourage my fellow Thanet bloggers to make the listing the best that there is. Part of that is getting your blog listed within the Thanet, Kent, Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and etc. pages on blogclue.com. To do this you simply need to use relevant tags to get your posts listed. Easy when you know how. However, if you don't know how it can be a nightmare. So over the next few weeks I will be looking at the issues of tagging and getting listed in such sites. I may even throw in some hints and tips on how to get extra mileage from it all. Getting listed is not all there is to it however. It just happens to be the really really easy part. Being a wiki you, me and the guy next door can all take part in editing the pages that matter most. That is what is so special about wikis. Some people say that WIKI stands for What I Know Is. It is not actually true (wiki means quick) but it is a good way to explain the community joint effort that makes them so powerful. I just happen to think that the entries for Thanet and the surrounding issues should be extra good.

I've noticed that Blogger appears to be letting spam comments through, so please be careful if you see a comment on a thread, which bears no relation to the conversation.Here's an example:"Broadband Sue has left a new comment on your postHere’s a Broadband Video that will show you how to check availability by postcode, how perform a broadband speed test and where to find broadband forums to answer your questions. There are also offers for PlusNet Broadband."Ed:In this case it looks quite possibly as if it's an attempt to re-direct the wary to a video site that will download malicious code into your PC, possibly for identity theft or to hijack it as a new member of an organised crime "zombie" network.Unless a link if from me or you recognise the author in regard to the thread, please don't be duped into following such links here or indeed on any weblog.www.thanetlife.com

With the deprivation that Thanet suffers from, it doesn't surprise me that we might figure in somewhere in the sex-trade and human trafficking league. Chairing, as I do, the "Tackling Organised Crime" congress, the statistics of misery are far greater than most readers would ever imagine!Seven people were arrested yesterday and eight women are being cared for by specialist officers following a Kent Police operation to target people trafficking and the sex trade.Early on Thursday morning more than 100 police officers from across the county visited 11 addresses in Margate, Ramsgate, Canterbury, Herne Bay and Sittingbourne where warrants were executed.According to the report, detailed searches of those properties were carried out. Four of the addresses are understood to have been used as brothels. The other locations are believed to be home addresses of people suspected of being involved in the crimes. Police say further arrests are anticipated.A Kent Police spokesman commented: "This is part of the nationwide campaign Operation Pentameter 2, led by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office, which aims to protect vulnerable people being exploited by organised criminal groups. Kent Police is playing an active role.""The seven people have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic women for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to control the activity of prostitutes for gain or money laundering, together with drug offences.Thousands of pounds in cash have also been recovered.Anyone with any information about trafficking is urged to contact Kent Police on 01622 690690 or Kent Crimestoppers, free and anonymously, on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always dial 999.www.thanetlife.com

Captial accolade for Turner Contemporary artistsKent News, United Kingdom - 7 hours agoBob and Roberta Smith was commissioned by the project, which is lead by Kent County Council to act as a catalyst to the regeneration of the Thanet town, ...

Millstone not milestone, yesterday I counted my new emails as they slumped into my inbox (1219). I try to answer my emails but for god sake how more times, I don't want any Viagra.I can remember back in 1995 or so when an email however impersonal was an exciting novelty to read, now all this shit is just something to be process into the recycle bin.Still as good as they are, getting round to reading, all the local blogs is getting tougher but at least its worth it for now.

Interesting article on the Guardian Unlimited website today which shows that its not just Kent police whingeing about their pay, seems that Peter Smythe vice chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation is more than tad miffed as well.It looks like hysteria is now effecting the ranks with this character upping the anti by saying *"that London Officers are at war with the Government", if this is so, surely this would be treason, in which case lets hope special branch are still loyal to Queen and Country (you and me).I reckon its time the police looked outside their own narrow world, and take into account how many of us don't get an automatic pay increase each year on time or even a month or two later.For most coppers what we are talking about is a hundred or so pounds after tax, so maybe these police officers, who are so hard done by, might like to consider that they get fat pensions, early retirement, job security etc, I would swap my some what less reliable income for theirs any day even if I had to wait a week or two for a pay increase.Back in the dark days of the 1970's, pay was poor for police officers and as a result not surprisingly, many officers particularly in the metropolitan police were tempted to seek er.. private sponsorship, this I do not believe to be the case today, yes of course they have been shortchanged slightly but again their still better off than most.Its important that police are paid a fair wage, since they deserve it, and since they get more than me I reckon their OK. The vision of a few police officers bleating about society doesn't value them shows what an insular self-centred world some of the live in (did anyone else find that copper on local TV the other day extremely irritating).Coppers know that when they joined the police force right or wrong strike action wasn't an option, which again is something shared in practice with large swathes of the work force, take the hundreds of thousands who work for agencies, if you don't turn up for work they just get another to replace you.Lets hope I haven't upset the police, as well as the freemasons last week!*To see this quote in its proper context click here for the Guardian article, just in case I've got things out of proportion

The world of the arts is something that Thanet is deeply lacking. For all the talk of "revamping" the libraries (by moving council services into them) and the black hole that is the Turner Centre we are a deeply deprived area. Were it not for a few souls working hard to bring things finer than say, a pint of cheap larger to the masses, we in Thanet would be totally bereft. One such group is the voluntary organisation known as Thanet Film Society. Thanet Film Society have since 1994 been bringing independent and foreign film to Thanet and screening them in real cinemas too (Such as The Windsor where things started). This flavour that is not the spoon fed mainstream of "blockbusters" and template driven formalised stories could as easily disappear tomorrow as stay with us forever. As they themselves say on their website the content they should tends towards "...foreign language films, independent American movies and small scale British films that would otherwise not be screened in local cinemas". Being a firmly community minded group they claim that "...at least two-thirds of the content of each season results from audience suggestions." What does this tell you? It tells me that it is possible to have variety and your opinion can and does matter. It also tells me that such efforts require our support. As blog and site owners we should be ready to help spread the word and as citizens of Thanet we can improve our poor little island by simply becoming involved with things. By getting out and enjoying things. Who says that making Thanet better has to be a struggle? Visit the Thanet Film Society Website at thanetfilm.co.uk

"The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the crown. It may be frail - its roof may shake,the wind may blow throught it, the storm may enter but the King of England cannot enter." - William Pitt.Following rapidly on the heels of the Housing Minister's announcement of a new home's building priority - further below - we have another story appearing in the papers today.It appears that "Pensioners will be encouraged to give up council houses in the cities and move to the country.The elderly will be paid cash and helped to move, so that their homes can be given to families.Labour said the plan would ease overcrowding. Housing Minister Yvette Cooper, who put forward the plans, said: "Too many children are stuck in cramped houses. How can they get on at school if they haven't got space to do their homework? Kids need space, and so do their parents."But critics warned it would put pressure on pensioners to quit social housing.Middle-aged couples living in large council houses in cities could be forced to move to the countryThe plans will mean the elderly, and some middle-aged "empty nesters", get priority for small council or housing association homes outside cities."Ed: William Pitt never imagined the appearance of New Labour. It all rather sounds like a covert form of eviction to me. When I wrote the earlier story, "The Biggest Priority of All", I never realised that the Government had such a dramatic 'Re-distribution' proposal up its sleeve.Bus loads of pensioners facing compulsory purchase and being sent to view retirement flats in depressed seaside towns, courtesy of Minister, Yvette Cooper, What do you think?www.thanetlife.com

This is going to be, an is it me post? I'm afraid so if you've any sense you will click on to Eastcliff Richard or Thanet Life, any how I'd like to revisit last weeks astonishing news that Kent council are spending countless gazillions of your wonger on self promotion vanity publishing etcFirst off in this bonanza of media spending is the Kent TV thing, now earlier in the year I corresponded with Peter Gilroy whom if any of the "county Tories" are to go by is the greatest thing since sliced bread, the subject of my emails was the accountability of Kent TV and more importantly the Independence of any governing board.Since that time it looks as if Kent Council have cobbled together their idea to independence, the list looks to me as though it is made up entirely of either those connected with the county administration including quangos or media types. Just for the education of the Kent TV bloke, who should have known better there is indeed a Ten Alps member on the board. see list.Last word for a moment on Kent TV, they have a section on this website entitled "your say" and no surprise to me or you, the comment topics are dictated by er..... well it seems Kent TV and since the guy I spoke with this afternoon who although he thought it a good idea, to ask joe public whether Kent's media spend (6mill) was wise he suggested it might be a while before such a question gets posted. Knowing how egalitarian things are in Kent I have subverted the system by placing a comment on the latest tough "your say" poser " Is Christmas becoming too commercialised? by referring to Kent councils profligate spending.Anyway I just feel that Kent council are spending money on promoting the political agendas of Kent's "county tories", and its about time perhaps our local media other than middle aged bloggers took up this issue but of course they might just be biting the hand that feeds.

*I sometimes have difficulty in getting motivated, particularly when I'm working nights, which is one reason, why I didn't give you the benefit of my concise and opinionated ramblings yesterday, one thing that has effect of motivating me, is when what used to be referred to as civil servants, get up off their bottoms and start venting what must be their personal opinions.It may be going to far but to my mind but large swathes of the civil service, have become politicised, an example I think of is that of the chief executive of a large local authority, who seems whenever I hear of him, to be driving his authorities policy, being assisted by a compliant conservative leader.The way I always understood that our society was governed, was that it was safeguarded by separation of various functions in society, so basically in our democracy elected representatives would create laws and policy, these would be applied by agencies of the state Treasury, Home Office, Local authorities etc., finally the lawyers judges and juries would in our system be the final arbiter.Currently our police force have been given a pay rise backdated to December 1st, rather than September 1st, now disappointing as this may be, to those of us outside the public pay gravy train this seems trivial and it is if you put it in the context of the thousands of people in the county of Kent who work in manual unskilled industries who consider themselves lucky not to be receiving cuts in the wages, due to the governments failure to protect low income groups.So the imagine the irritation of seeing Mike Fullers (Chief Constable of Kent) interview on the front page of Kent on Sunday, apparently criticising the Home Office's pay deal to police officers. Outside of publicly funded institutions any senior manager in a private company or Plc who openly criticized the boss for not being more generous to staff would probably find themselves updating their CV.The police earn their money but so do many of us, who earn considerably less, I don't know whether its the same in the police force but in most workplaces if you moan about your employer, the advise is generally the same, get another job.Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I would find refreshing if occasionally paid civil servant could refrain from venting the own opinions in public that's what we have politicians for.Maybe if Mike Fuller reckons that Jacqui Smith has made a mistake perhaps he could hang up his truncheon and see if he would make a better politician, I feel he should concentrate on policing Kent not criticising the Home Office.*I omitted the first two paragraphs when I posted this yesterday, probably makes little difference to anyone except me, and the first 2 comments where prior to this addition.

XML is a powerful technical specification but powerful specifications are nothing without a useful implementation. RSS and ATOM are two such examples of an implementation that is both fun and useful. However, that means nothing if you don't understand what they are for. Atom and RSS are site feed formats. A site feed is simply the raw content (headlines, story etc) of a site. While this sounds rather dull there is plenty that can be done with it. For example you can head your favorite Thanet blog on your PDA, mobile, desktop or even in some email clients (like Thunderbird). It allows headlines from lots of sources to be pulled together into a giant custom super blog of everything you are interested in or push out from your blog and into headline aggregation sites for others to discover. If you use the browser Firefox you can use a feed to have live up-to-date bookmarks of the latest items for any site that produces a feed. If you use any of the many specialist start page providers (my Yahoo, Google home page and the like) you can pull the headlines in and have them there for you to read in the morning. Many bloggers use them to keep tabs on the vast numbers of other bloggers whose blogs they watch. You do not even need to know how it works because most modern readers will do all the leg work for you. Rather than go over old ground again I will point you to some some great further reading if you happen to find this topic interesting.

• Wikipedia: Web Feeds
• Sixapart: About Feeds
• WhatIsRss.com

The ecology of Thanet blogs is dominated by a few big players. These are blogs that rank highly in the search engines for searches on "Thanet" and "Blog" but also occur regularly within the wider blogging community. For the Thanet blog scene these can perhaps be considered "The A-List" I think. This is a topic I hope to return to many times as growth and an influx of blogging talent hits Thanet... or at leasts shows up and says "hi" from time to time. 1. Big News Margate - authored by Tony Flag this is probably the leading Thanet commentary blog at present. Over the years it has carved a considerable reputation in the Thanet blog scene. Tony is possibly the most vocally political of the Thanet Bloggers but has gotten so far by not being boring nor feeling the need to be exclusive to the topic. As you can Guess there is some Margate bias and focus in the blog beyond the topic of Thanet in general. 2. the Isle of Thanet Gazunder - hot on the heals of Big New Margate (BNM) comes the Gazunder. More satire than outright comment the true identity of the blogger is a secret. The Gazunder dominates the Thanet blog scene with a good sense of British humour. 3. Thanet Blog List - while not the heaviest hitter of the pack TBL is a vital resource for any blogger wanting to break into the Thanet blogging scene. A link there as part of a launch plan can have a considerable impact on the blogs initial traction. However a listing there when the blog is effectively empty can be a wasted opportunity. 4. Michael's Bookshop - while it is not a blog in the most strict definition of the word this is a site that logs a great deal of (often political) activity from within Thanet. It is written by Micheal the owner of the shop in question and often has the content of letters written and replies to said letters. It is not very easy to navigate and lacks much of the charm of a modern blog design but the content is strong stuff and for this reason often the source of reference for other sources. 5. Turneround Margate - lacking the fame of other more widely socialised Thanet blogs this is still never-the-less a highly rated blog. The focus is on Thanet Regeneration. Thanet regeneration is a huge niche topic touched on by Big News and many other blogs. It is part of they key to the future of Thanet. Without some form of regeneration Thanet is doomed, quite simply. 6. Eastcliff Matters - lacking the traction of some of the other bloggers this blog is still a constant figure within the blogging scene of Thanet if only because it is the blog of the only known political blogger that is also a member of the council. Councillor David Green is a Labour member for Eastcliff (which explains the blog title). 7. Thanet Life - our final entry for the first draft of the Thanet A-List. Thanet Life has a quite following but still pulls sufficient traction to pass muster to make the list. It has archives going back to 2003 and all this time later it is still going. This is quite a healthy sign all things considered. This round up of the brightest and biggest of Thanet blogging was compiled according to the highly accurate scientific method of digging up "the blogs that stuck in my mind the most" from the times I have looked at Thanet blogs. Which I have done on and off for a while now. The ability of the blogs to get noticed was, therefore, the biggest factor along with search engine placement.

North Thanet's MP, Roger Gale, has accused the Government and Southeastern Trains of adopting a "Pay More - Get Less" policy towards travellers from Thanet.Following receipt of a letter from Southeastern the MP said:"Southeastern Trains have made it clear that they are not willing to "comment on estimated journey times (for the fast link) quoted by London and Continental or the DfT eight or nine years ago".In other words, the promises that were made by Labour Members of Parliament locally and by Transport Ministers were not worth the press release paper that they were written on. We were told, back in 2001, that dramatically reduced journey times were to be with us by 2007 and that new fast trains were on order. That is clearly demonstrated to have been so much pre-election party-political moonshine.The fast link from Thanet, via Canterbury, Ashford and Ebbsfleet, to London is vital to the development of the economy of East Kent in general and of Manston Airport in particular.I am told that :"A yet to be determined premium fare will be charged for journeys between Ashford and St. Pancras. However, the premium will not apply for those travelling from stations on the Kent main line, only for the section of the journey from Ashford that uses the high speed line. In other words a passenger travelling from Margate to St. Pancras would pay a premium fare for that portion of the journey between Ashford and St Pancras but not between Margate to Ashford".Which in plain English means that for the "privilege" of using a bit of high-speed track for part of a journey to a terminus that passengers do not wish to arrive at, passengers will pay more!Given that it is technically possible to travel, today, on existing track and using existing rolling stock, from Ramsgate to Victoria in one hour flat I think that it is time that local Labour MPs prevailed upon their government to either deliver on their promises or to be prepared to face the electoral consequences. In short, the people that I represent do not like being short-changed and they do not like being lied to".www.thanetlife.com

Last week, the Government announced a building target of three million homes by 2020, two million of which are to be delivered by 2016. This is now an absolute priority for New Labour and supersedes both health, defense and education, leaving the audit commission to comment that such a priority has only been seen three times in British history, during the industrial revolution and at the end of the First and Second World Wars.For those of us in Thanet worried by the spread of concrete and increasingly busy roads, Housing & Planning Minister, Yvette Cooper, had few words of comfort. “We are not”, she said, “going to build our way out of traffic congestion”.So what does this all mean for us?The good news is that £732 million will be spent helping councils with the infrastructure costs if they support new housing or to quote the Minister, “Those councils and communities that are doing their bit to deliver new homes should get more cash” but where this cash will really go remains a mystery and every indication is that it will join all the other money going North to places such as Leicester and Northampton, to name but two, rather than towards a Thanet which has seen its central government support slashed this year.Contrary to what South Thanet MP, Dr Ladyman has said about our island’s so-called over-achievement in housing, Thanet is apparently not building enough houses, because so-called ‘Windfall sites’, the bungalows springing up in gardens around the island don’t count in the housing targets. No, apparently, we need to build at least 30 more units per annum (as instructed by SEERA - than are being built already, just to stand still.Bearing in mind that in Kent, 8% of homes are in the private rented sector and in Cliftonville West, this figure is 59%, perhaps you should know that the council is receiving an average of 314 applications for social housing each month from people that live both inside and outside Thanet. With 4000, people or families now on the council's housing register, The Conservative Group that leads Thanet District Council has decided it urgently needs to introduce a new housing allocations policy: “To give appropriate priority to local residents and discourage the inward migration of vulnerable people to Thanet.”Far more attention needs to be been given by Government to the scale of the problem facing our local population. The London Borough of Newham, as one example, has 5,800 people in temporary accommodation, who cost rather more to keep in London, than they might if sent to accommodation in Kent. While Thanet welcomes migrant workers that make a contribution to the growth of our local economy, what is Government actually doing to address the constant migration pressure from London?Ironically, for the last two years, Thanet has actually put more people back in work than any other part of the South-east and the council is working hard to deliver both affordable homes through agreements with developers and reduce the number of vulnerable people living in non-decent accommodation through effective licensing and enforcement activity.This government is going to try and build its way out of a housing crisis and both infrastructure and carbon-neutrality will suffer as a result. While we are trying to draw breath and at least get the patient, which is Thanet’s own infrastructure and housing problem, back on its feet, Government not only wants to suffocate us under even more concrete but it appears unlikely to give us anything near (if at all) of the financial support it will apply to more important constituencies running-up to the next General Election.Draw your own conclusions.www.thanetlife.com

Last week, the Government announced a building target of three million homes by 2020, two million of which are to be delivered by 2016. This is now an absolute priority for New Labour and supersedes both health, defense and education, leaving the audit commission to comment that such a priority has only been seen three times in British history, during the industrial revolution and at the end of the First and Second World Wars. For those of us in Thanet worried by the spread of concrete and incr

Following closely on the heels of last nights traffic disruption along Margate seafront, caused by a potentially dangerous arcade sign, Police were once again cordoning-off areas of the seafront opposite Dreamland, when a man's body was discovered on the beach by a passer-by.No further details are available at present. I was one of the first walking past the incident as the cordon was being set-up, on my way to a licensing committee meeting at the council offices.www.thanetlife.com

With luck, Thanet North MP, Roger Gale, has fought-off an attempt by Metropolitan Resources Ltd to use the Lonsdale Hotel in Cliftonville as a processing centre for ‘Failed’ asylum seekers. He’s made it very clear that Thanet is “Resistant” to any idea of introducing further asylum resources to an area that both Thanet District Council and Kent County Council have targeted for urgent regeneration and that the present use of the Nayland Rock Hotel for such purposes is quite enough for Margate, as I’m sure most readers would agree.The resistance to this new proposal is very much a consequence of the efforts presently being made to return the Nayland Rock to use as a quality hotel and the continued regeneration of Margate Central and Cliftonville West as two of the most disadvantaged areas of South-east England. Thanks to ten years of Government policy, we have a fragmented and largely transitory population with a turnover in excess of 34% and some of the highest levels of crime and anti-social behaviour in the county.In addition to the existing figures, we now have to include Eastern-European migration over the last two years, with some of the local schools now reporting that over 50% of their intake this year is from the families of new economic migrants.Given the investment and the commitment being made by a Conservative-led Thanet District Council in an attempt to turn Margate around in the face of enormous challenges, both socially and economically, I suspect that most Thanet voters would agree with Roger Gale and the council and ask Metropolitan Resources to take their project somewhere else.What do you think?www.thanetlife.com

Introduction by a Thanet business blogger My Name is Matt and I am a small business owner from Thanet. I have been blogging for a long time but have done little to address the unique needs and issues of doing business in an economically deprived district. In this blog I will be focusing on successful blogging in Thanet. The possible meanings or marks of success are as many and varied as the people you might ask. For this reason I will define success as having a large readership or an active community as the base line of success for a blog. Success in business is clearer: creating and sustaining viable economic activity - something not so easy to do within Thanet. The Thanet blogging and website landscape is filled with as many derelict and white elephant sites as the district itself. My aim is to focus on the issues that lead to blog abandonment. Specifically I am to address the issues of making money from blogging (something that I do and enjoy doing). The wikipidea says of Thanet that it is "...a local government district of Kent, England which was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, and came into being on 1 April 1974. It occupies the area known as the Isle of Thanet and is governed by Thanet District Council. The main towns in the district are Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs." The same wikipidea article also makes the following claims about the status of our tiny isle. From experience I can tell you that much of this is true. Given these facts how we can prosper is going to be a prime question for this blog.

• Life expectancy is increasing but on average is less than for England
• People on means-tested benefits: 21,400
• Children in low-income households: 6,800
• Teenage pregnancies are high compared to the England average
• Violent crime is more frequent in Thanet than in England
• Estimated smoking rates are high as are death rates from smoking
• Early deaths from cancer are higher than the England average
• Healthy eating, physical activity, and adult obesity are similar to the national average
• Binge drinking is below the national average
• Higher than average number of people admitted to hospital for alcohol-specific conditions
• Higher than average rate of diabetes
• Higher than average rate of mental health problems

We businessman that choose to stay and fight the desire to run from here screaming must work hard to prosper for and with Thanet. As a people group we Thanetarians are mentally, emotionally and spiritually poor suffering from the effects of countless poor or wrong choices and a now ingrained attitude within our "leaders". The demographic (audience range) or our isle is a large part single and young mothers, the depressed, the unemployed and the technologically illiterate. Unemployment and technological illiteracy is not the fault of the person but a problem for us all. I will be addressing ways we can help Thanet overcome this barrier and what we as business people could and should be doing to improve the economic future of Thanet not in big ways but in many little and over looked ways. I will also be asking hard questions. Finally as a service to my fellow Thanet bloggers I will be addressing general issues of blogging. This will include technical and practical things we as bloggers can do to make it easier for those in Thanet (with Internet access) to engage with us. I will also address issues of earning from your blog and the moral and ethical questions that you will encounter. I hope in all this to use local and specific examples rather than the usual blogging rote of "world famous" and thus irrelevant and unknown topic specific bloggers. Not that there is anything wrong with topic specific blogging but everything that is good in Thanet must be encouraged to the very limit of possibility if we are to foster growth. As such I will be maintaining special pages of topical links but more on that when the time comes.

Legends mark opening of Gate's new centreKent News, United Kingdom - 10 Dec 2007Thanet council leader Sandy Ezekiel also endorsed the pitches. “This is what we’ve been working towards for some time. I’m glad the council were able to ...

Kent Online reports another dismal statistic of local vandalism, that the College Walk toilets in Margate have been defaced only a day after £4,500 was spent improving them last Wednesday.Teenagers were reportedly found smoking and drinking in the new baby changing rooms and Thanet District Council said the baby-changing mat had also been loosened from its fixing and had to be repaired.Cllr Shirley Tomlinson, the council’s cabinet member for commercial and environment, said: “It is so disheartening when something like this happens. The council is working so hard to improve the existing facilities for local people and as soon as work has been completed it’s vandalised and used for antisocial behaviour.“Not only is that completely unacceptable, but it also costs taxpayers dearly, because we are the ones left footing the bill for repairs.”The damage came only 24 hours after work on the public toilets had finished last Wednesday.Cllr Tomlinson added: “If we could cut vandalism at our public toilets, we could put the money we’re currently spending on tackling that problem, into local people’s priorities.”Ed: Similar improvements costing £4,500 have been made to the toilets in East Pier Yard in Ramsgate but one wonders how long these will last.Constant vandalism is costing Thanet far too much money, time and wasted resources. I noticed last week how graffiti is spreading across the bays once again and the Minnis Bay toilets have been completly defaced. It's only a matter of time before the public toilets in my own ward, Westgate, meet a similar fate, again, having only recently repaired and re-painted.Until the courts which act as a revolving door, start imposing custodial sentences on young vandals as a shock deterrent - which they won't - the problem will continue indefinitely and you and I will carry on paying for the repairs through our council taxes!www.thanetlife.com