PRAISE FOR MARGATE AFTER CONFERENCE

Margate has been described as a great venue by those attending a national conference in the town, with many pledging to return in the future.

The two-day event, organised by the Coastal Communities Alliance (CCA), called for greater recognition at a national level of the issues facing seaside resorts around the country. It brought together policy makers and practitioners in seaside regeneration.

A new publication 'Coastal Regeneration in England 2010' and website www.coastalcommunities.co.uk were also launched at the conference. They aim to stimulate new thinking about local solutions and clarify "who's who" and "who's doing what" in coastal regeneration.

Leader of the Council, Cllr. Sandy Ezekiel, said: "We were very proud to see Margate hosting this conference and I was delighted with the feedback that I got from delegates. Many of them were talking about coming back to Margate in the future and they were full of praise for the work that's going on down here. There was a lot of talk about our regeneration plans and we were able to show them exactly what we are doing here, with Turner Contemporary underway and the changes in the Old Town. It would be great to welcome them back again in the future, so that they can see the difference in Margate when they return here. I think, from talking to various people, including some of the organisers of the conference, that's something they'd be very keen to do. They were certainly talking about wanting to return to Margate for more conferences, which is very encouraging."

The keynote speech at the conference came from Dr Phyllis Starkey MP, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, which led an influential review into the problems facing seaside resorts. She told the conference that the coast has a great deal to offer the country and spoke about the importance of ensuring that different organisations in seaside areas work together and aim for the same result.

Other speeches were made by Mark Simmonds, MP for Boston and Skegness, and Dr. Stephen Ladyman, MP for South Thanet.

The Coastal Communities Alliance is a UK-wide umbrella group, made up of more than 100 organisations and local authorities, with Lincolnshire County Council as the Secretariat. It was started in 2007, after the Government's initial rejection of the recommendations from the Select Committee Inquiry into Coastal Towns.