Ramsgate Port Pollution Danger: Biased Boss Everitt Must Stand Aside

Thanet Council’s (TDC)  Labour Leader  Rick Everitt  must not be allowed to participate in any  further discussion and decision making about  Brett Aggregates’ (BA) plans to expand its activities  at Ramsgate Port.

Why? Because Everitt  has, I believe,  shown himself to be biased in favour of BAs proposals, rendering  him  totally unfit to make a fair, balanced,  and impartial decision on what is an extremely  important  decision.

At the Cabinet meeting on 18 December 2025 Everitt declared himself to be satisfied with BAs activities at Ramsgate Port, even though this included  unlawful and potentially health damaging crushing and  grading of thousands of tons of aggregate without a legally required  permit.

Credit Nick Mitchel

He also approved  so called “mitigation measures” agreed between BA and TDC which  allow the unlawful/unpermitted crushing and grading of the aggregate mountain to continue at the port before BAs permit application is approved.

This  interim arrangement, or as I would describe it “dodgy deal”,  with BA does not appear to be countenanced by environmental permitting law. You are either permitted to crush and grade aggregate or you are not. From a legal point of view there is nothing in between.

To top it all,  at the meeting on 18 December, Everitt accused  councillors,  who, acting on behalf of Ramsgate residents, expressed  genuine and   widespread concerns about the pollution risks of BAs activities at the port, as malcontents “wanting to get rid of Bretts”.

I don’t know about you but I believe  Everitt’s response is an insult to the people of Ramsgate and their elected councillors who have legitimate right to raise their concerns about BA without facing an aggressive bully boy response from the Labour leader of TDC.

Everitt’s astonishing actions at  the Cabinet meeting on 18 December expose him as having his head  so far up BAs bumhole that he’s  lost sight of his other, some would say much more important, responsibilities as leader of TDC.

According to TDCs online bio of Everitt he is not only responsible for Ramsgate Port and Harbour, but is also TDCs head political honcho  for health and safety,  climate change and  legal and democratic policy.

Looking at BAs expansion plans from the point of view of health and safety and climate change there is an overwhelming  case for the council to reject the company’s proposal.  

As I have explained in previous posts  the crushing and  grading of aggregate   and the manufacture of concrete and concrete products on the scale envisaged by BA will present via potential dust and noise pollution a huge threat to the health of nearby Ramsgate residents and the health of the  nearby flora and fauna living in the close by marine protected sites.

The increased comings and goings from BAs site by its delivery drivers, customers, and  suppliers.  and the operation of more and bigger plant and equipment on site will add significantly to the pollution caused by crushing and  grading of aggregate,  which in turn will create a much greater risk to public health.

But not  once at the meeting did Everitt mention the very real and very serious risks to public  health and the environment posed by BAs expansion plans, even though he is personally responsible for TDC policy on these matters

From a legal perspective Everitt also failed to take BA to  task

for acting unlawfully. In fact he rewarded BA for breaking the law by supporting mitigation measures which enables the company to continue operating without a permit: measures which I have already said  are of dubious legality.

He also dangled the prospect of allowing, despite its  unlawful activities, BA to rent or even buy the port in its entirety! Making a total mockery of his policy responsibility for ensuring that TDC abides by the law.  

Last but not least, Everitt paid no heed to his responsibilities to promote democracy in Thanet. He made no reference whatsoever at the meeting of TDC undertaking any  public consultation about BAs plans to expand their activities at the port.

On the contrary anyone who dared to raise even the slightest criticism or concern about BA at the meeting were denounced  by him as malcontents “wanting to get rid of Bretts. Hardly the words of someone who is supposed to be promoting democratic engagement with the public.

To say, based on the evidence of his actions, that Everitt is capable of  fairly,  objectively, and impartiality making a decision about BAs expansion plans at Ramsgate Port is to believe that the earth is flat.

Council Leader  Everitt is I suggest  so biased and predetermined in favour of BA  that it can been seen from outer space. Such is his bias that the Council’s Monitoring Officer should advise him to stand aside from any further involvement in BAs expansion plans at Ramsgate Port.

Failure to do so is likely, in my view, to  result in a public health and environmental disaster for Ramsgate and its residents.

Shout Out. If you have any information about  wrongdoing  which you think needs to be exposed contact me in confidence at ianddriver@yahoo.co.uk  or call  07866588766