The report of the Sandwich Economic Development Task Force, looking at the future of East Kent, following Pfizer’s decision to leave the area, has been warmly welcomed by Thanet District Council.
Today (Tuesday 15 March), the Task Force has delivered its 30 Day Report to Ministers, setting out a strategy to respond to Pfizer’s departure from their Sandwich site. Amongst the recommendations are a series of business incentive schemes, including the creation of a new Research, Innovation and Technology Zone, possibly covering all of Thanet and four wards in the Dover district.
Thanet District Council’s Chief Executive, Richard Samuel, was at this morning’s Task Force briefing in Westminster. “There’s much for us to welcome in the report. In particular, the support being proposed for the existing workforce and the creation of a new enterprise zone present some excellent opportunities for Thanet. The focus on plans for the Manston Parkway and improving the rail service to Thanet and Dover, bringing us to within an hour of London, is something that this council has supported for many years. As the report points out, that would bring us as close to the capital as Oxford and Cambridge, and of course our location has additional benefits of being at the gateway to continental Europe.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see the potential of the Manston and Eurokent Business Parks and Manston Airport all recognised as having their part to play in supporting future development at the Pfizer site and generating jobs for the area. Something else to be welcomed is the aspiration that East Kent should be able to match the average levels of economic success of the rest of the south east in the future. That’s something that the council has wanted to see Thanet achieving for some time and something that we’ve worked tirelessly on for many years.
He added: “The Task Force has already done a first class job in a very short space of time in putting together some tangible proposals that can hopefully leading to new business investment to replace the jobs that will be lost at Pfizer. From what we heard at this morning’s briefing, it sounds as if some proposals may be coming through for the area in next week’s budget. We hope that will be the case and that we can look forward to rapid action to help support the area.”
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