56 councillors. The cabinet is held to account by the remainder of the councillors acting as overview and scrutiny who verify that decisions are appropriate and can prevent a decision taking immediate effect. Officers Councillors are responsible for the appointment and oversight of officers, who are delegated to perform most tasks. The chief executive officer, has overall responsibility for council employees and operates in conjunction with department heads. Parishes The civil parishes located in the district are: Acol Birchington Broadstairs Cliffsend Manston Minster Monkton Ramsgate St Nicholas at Wade with Sarre The town of Margate comprises an unparished area. The Thanet councillors representing the wards covering Margate act as charter trustees, choosing one of their number to be the mayor of Margate each year. The chairs of the town councils for Ramsgate and Broadstairs also take the title of mayor. Elections See Thanet District Council elections for historic political control and leadership. Elections are held every four years. The most recent election on 2 May 2019 saw the council remain under no overall control. A minority Conservative administration formed after the election, but was replaced by a minority Labour administration in October 2019. That administration lasted until June 2021, when another minority Conservative administration, led by Ash Ashbee managed to take control of the council. The next election is due in 2023. Electoral wards The district is divided into 23 electoral wards. Premises The council is based at the Council Offices on Cecil Street in the centre of Margate. The building was originally designed in the early 1970s to be a new headquarters for Margate Borough Council, but by the time the building was finished in 1974 that council had been abolished and absorbed into the larger Thanet District Council. The building was formally opened on 9 April 1975. Demography According to the 2011 census, the population of Thanet was 134,186, an increase of about 6000 in the ten years since the previous census. Economy The whole district suffers from seasonal unemployment, in spite of its proximity to London, because of various factors, among them being inward migration, high numbers of old people, and low numbers of affluent people. It is not helped by poor overall indicators for health. In a study of resilience to economic downturns, Thanet was poorly rated at 295th out of 324 districts. Unemployment levels are nearly twice the South East of England as a whole,