A new look Dover District Council met for its first annual meeting on 17 May, with a third of councillors taking their seats in the council chamber for the first time. 

The meeting confirmed the new Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet, with Cllr Kevin Mills (pictured) as the new Leader of DDC. The council elected Cllr Gordon Cowan the new Chairman of DDC, with Cllr David Cronk as Vice Chairman.  

Labour took control of DDC on 4 May, winning 17 of the 32 seats and marking the first Labour-led administration in the district for twenty years. 

• New faces at Dover District Council

We want to hear what DDC tenants think about our housing service through the launch of our new Tenant Housing Survey.

The survey forms part of new measures by the Regulator of Social Housing to ensure consumer standards are being met by social landlords, like DDC, including repairs, conditions and the general tenant experience.

The survey takes no more than five minutes, and you could be in with a chance of winning one of three prizes totalling £350!

• More on Tenant Housing Survey   

With summer upon us, there's a whole range of great things to see and do in Dover, Deal and Sandwich, and the surrounding areas. 

White Cliffs Country has again developed new campaigns to showcase amazing attractions and days out. This includes new Days Out and Walking & Cycling leaflets for 2023, distributed around the UK, and available at Visitor Information Centres. 

Summer events include the fabulous free-to-attend Saturday Sessions in Dover Market Square.

• More on White Cliffs Country

DDC and the Lawn Tennis Association have renovated four tennis courts at Marke Wood Recreation Ground in Walmer. 

This is part of a nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, that will bring thousands of existing park tennis courts back to life for the benefit of communities across the country.

The fantastic new-look tennis facilities were opened in May by the new Chairman of Dover District Council, Cllr Gordon Cowan. The launch was followed by a range of fun activities and coaching organised by the Marke Wood Tennis Hub.

• Marke Wood Tennis Courts

Works are nearing completion to transform the Guildhall Square in Sandwich.

With a range of improvements, including improved seating, tree planting and lighting, as well as recent work applying jointing mortar as part of the resurfacing, the new look Square will be another great place to sit out and enjoy the summer!

The project is part-funded by the R&A, as part of The Open Legacy Fund, alongside additional investment from KCC, DDC, Sandwich Town Council, Prince's Golf Club and Discovery Park.

• More on Guildhall Square

As residents and visitors enjoy the summer evenings, we're continuing to shine a light on key events and attractions in the area. 

As part of a programme of lighting works on Deal Pier, we've been replacing lights on the main stem of the pier, replacing shelter lights with LEDs, and upgrading the lighting around the pier cafe. Work on the new lights is currently being finalised, and is set to help light the way this summer.

We also hosted a fun-packed parade on Deal Pier on Saturday (3 June), teaming up with The History Project, showing how fashion has changed through the ages. 

• More on Deal Pier 

DDC continues to invest in new affordable housing across the district.

This includes new homes on Napchester Road in Dover. The homes, constructed on behalf of DDC, form part of the Whitfield Urban Expansion and provide 26 new homes for local people charged at affordable rent.

We continue to support those who wish to purchase their own home but cannot afford to buy outright, by offering shared ownership schemes. Please see the DDC website for more details, including how shared ownership helped to make a 'home-owning dream come true' for one resident.

• More on new affordable housing

A big thank you has gone out to all residents and businesses who came together to pick over 650 bags of rubbish from across the district during the Great British Spring Clean.

As part of the campaign, we also ran our REACH environment and community awards for the second year, with the winners to be announced over the summer. We also teamed up with our contractors Veolia for a design competition to design a vehicle poster, and congratulations went to the amazing winner Martha (pictured) and runners up Lyra-Rose (pictured) and Marlie.

DDC continues to work hard to keep the district clean and tidy.  

• More on environment and litter