Misrepresentation And That’s a Fact

Is it possible for SDC to “Safeguard its reputation from any implication of dishonesty or corruption”?

At the Extraordinary, Audit and Standards Committee on Wednesday, 13th April, 2016 at 7.00 pm in the Boulogne Room in the Civic Centre, this document was briefly discussed rasc20160413 App 2-Proposed contract standing orders.

Earlier at SDC’s full cabinet meeting Item 6 of the agenda SDC spoke about Hythe Swimming Pool and Princes Parade Site and Report C/15/98; which provides an update on recent decisions related to the replacement of Hythe Swimming Pool and considers options for the uses and the extent of uses to be incorporated into an application for planning permission for land at Princes Parade, Hythe, within the ownership of Shepway District Council.

Alistair Stewart, Chief Executive of SDC (below)

stated for the record, that SDC have “no development partner“. He elected to use these form of words after a long discussion with Jeremy Chambers SDC Corporate Director (below)

and then Mr Stewart delivered them rather hesitantly (so not a good candidate for Just A Minute).

Now the Save Princes Parade Campaign were out in force using their rights to video Council Proceedings. The video will be available on their site in the near future.

In the report rcabt20111221 Quarter 2-Biannual Performance report – Appendix 1 at Page 4 SDC admit that there is Strategic Risk Rating which for the Hythe Pool Replacement is very high.

In 6 years and shed loads of cash, (How much? Perhaps a member of public might do an FOI?) spent on Princes Parade, without a brick being laid, you can no doubt understand why the risk is so high.

That aside though, we just do not believe what Mr Stewart said. We do not believe that there is “no development partner”. In fact we would go as far as saying that is untrue, we know there is and we know who it will be and we know they, the developer, are “cock a hoop”. Unfortunately we cannot divulge the company name, as of yet, but we will.

Mr Stewart’s tenure should end now, as what he said at the meeting of full cabinet yesterday (13/04/16) was a misrepresentation of the facts, as he, and we know. If he or the council are minded to sue us, the gauntlet has been thrown down for them to pick up.

After watching the pantomime antics of the Cabinet and Council Officers, the risk rating of developing a new pool for Hythe no longer runs high, it is off the scale.  Mr Stewart and his cohorts, are NOT “Safeguarding SDC’s reputation from any implication of dishonesty or corruption;” and he knows it as do we. So please SDC, pick up that gauntlet as we’d love the opportunity to place our evidence into the public domain.

We’ll let you know if SDC elect to pick up the gauntlet thrown.

Shepwayvox