Council scorecard
Thanet District Council
- Type
- district
- Population
- ~142k
- Council website
- www.thanet.gov.uk
Scorecard
Methodology published 2026-05-18. Pending cells reflect data collection in progress, not methodology uncertainty — they will populate as the underlying data is gathered.
Refuse collection
Missed bin reports, recycling rates, complaint resolution time
Partial Metric 1 score reflecting recycling rate (component 2 of 4, 30% weight) only; the three other components (missed-bin reports per 100k, complaint resolution time, service consistency) remain pending data ingest. Thanet 2023-24 recycling rate 34.9% — well below the Kent average (41.7%) and the England average (~44%). Second-worst-performing district after Dartford on the recycling component.
as of 2024 · source
Complaints handling
Volume, response times, LGSCO upheld findings
Score pending — data collection in progress per the published methodology (2026-05-18)
FOI response
Average response time, refusal/exemption rate, compliance with 20-day statutory deadline
Score pending — data collection in progress per the published methodology (2026-05-18)
Financial health & budget discipline
Revenue budget variance, capital programme delivery, reserves + Section 114 risk, external auditor VfM judgment, council tax positioning + trajectory vs national
Partial Metric 4 score reflecting council tax positioning (component 5 of 6) only; the five other components (revenue budget variance, capital programme delivery, reserves + Section 114 risk, external auditor VfM judgement, multi-year tax trajectory) remain pending data ingest. Thanet DC total Band D 2026-27 approximately £2,491 — at the higher end of the Kent district comparator group, but lower than Folkestone & Hythe. District-only precept to be added at next refresh.
as of 2026 · source
Transparency
Open data publication, councillor expenses, contract register, committee paper publication
Score pending — data collection in progress per the published methodology (2026-05-18)
Planning
Application approval ratios, appeal-overturn rate, determination time vs statutory targets
Score pending — data collection in progress per the published methodology (2026-05-18)
Education & children's services
SEND/EHCP statutory processing, SEND tribunal LA-loss rate, children's services Ofsted rating, school transport delivery (county + unitary only)
Education and children's services are not a district/borough function. The county council (or, for Medway, the unitary authority) holds this remit.
Safeguarding & LADO
LADO referral handling, multi-agency safeguarding (MASH) timeliness, Section 47 enquiry compliance, independent safeguarding audit findings (county + unitary only)
Safeguarding is the statutory function of the county council or unitary authority via the LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) and multi-agency safeguarding hub.
Manifesto delivery (Trust)
KLN tracks what the controlling party promised at the most recent election vs what was actually delivered. KEPT/PARTIAL/BROKEN/PENDING/OUT_OF_SCOPE categorisation.
Trust score: 3 categorised public issues (no scoreable pledges yet).
as of 2026-05-21
Top public issues for Thanet residents
This is editorial assessment, not a metric score. Each issue carries an alignment tag — ALIGNED (council in step with residents), MIXED (some action falls short), COUNTERACTING (council against residents on this), or SILENT (no clear position). KLN-curated. Council positions added verbatim where provided. Right-of-reply opens with initial publication.
- 🟡Mixed
Coastal town housing + cleaner streets
Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs face concentrated housing pressure + visible street-cleansing complaints. Residents demand cleaner streets, more council housing.
Council position
Labour 2023 manifesto committed to bring council housing back under direct control + build more; cleaner streets is a stated priority.
KLN assessment
Statements supportive. Housing direct-control transition status + cleansing complaint trend not yet reviewed. Per the "actions, not statements" principle: MIXED.
- 🟡Mixed
Coastal erosion + sea defences
Thanet coastline + cliffs face erosion pressures; sea defence maintenance is critical but expensive.
Council position
Sea defences are partly Environment Agency, partly local. TDC's role is statutory consultation + funding contribution.
KLN assessment
Mixed: council is operating within limited direct authority; advocacy for EA funding is the channel. Resident outcomes depend on national funding decisions.
- 🟡Mixed
Local economy + cost of living
Thanet has higher-than-average unemployment + cost-of-living pressure. Residents expect council procurement + business support to favour local.
Council position
Labour 2023 manifesto committed to use council budget to buy from local enterprises where possible.
KLN assessment
Statement supportive; action evidence is the procurement-local-spend ratio (not yet published in standardised form). Per the "actions, not statements" principle: MIXED until the ratio is FOI'd and published.
How this scorecard works
Each metric is scored 0-100 and banded A through F. We do NOT aggregate to a single overall ranking — combining unrelated performance areas would mislead. See the methodology page for full details, thresholds, and data sources.
Spot an error or have data we should add for Thanet? editor@kentlocalnews.co.uk.