Something is rotten in the district of Shepway – Part 3

Updated: 18 Feb  2018 – see end of post for update

Cllr Peter Gane (pictured) spoke against it, local resident Mr Gordon Banks spoke against it and Shepway District Council Officer Head of Strategic Development Projects Andy Jarrett spoke for it. Cllr Dick Pascoe proposed it, Cllr Philip Martin seconded it. Eight Cllrs voted for it, with two abstentions and one Cllr voting against it.

So Y16-0672-SH (page 11), the erection of a three storey block of six flats (6 x 1-bedroom units) at Roman Way, just of Horn Street (near Tesco’s Cheriton) got the go ahead together with parking and associated development in Oct 2016.

 

The Contract was won by Alliance Building Company Contracts Ltd and the estimated total value as per the contract was £797,000 – see below. Ex Sandgate Parish Cllr Leo Livingston Griggs,  is the  person with significant control of Alliance Building Company Contracts Ltd.

According to Shepway District Council data in the public domain, on the 28-06-17 and the 25-08-17 purchase orders to the value of £797,500 were raised for Alliance Building Company Contracts Ltd. There is no evidence in the public domain that says either of these purchase orders have been canceled.

The amounts in the graph demonstrate from SDC’s data they may well have paid twice the estimated value of the contract potentially. Why have Shepway District Council raised two purchase orders to pay Mr Leo Livingston Griggs company when one should have been suffice? However, it doesn’t stop there.

In August, September, November and December 2017 according to Shepway District Council Payment to Suppliers, another £158,527.70 has been paid to Alliance Building Company Contracts Ltd.

When one does the maths, the total which SDC documents state may have been paid to Alliance Building Company Contracts Ltd is £1,753,527.70 so far. Now we have spoken to builders who’ve looked at the plans and told us what has been paid so far is “excessive” and “i’d have liked to have won that contract for that money”, “overpriced” was another comment.

 

So the question is, how can a site which was estimated to cost £797,000 to build, end up costing the local council tax payer 120%  more than was originally forecast potentially? Perhaps the Cabinet member for Housing Cllr Alan Ewart James (pictured 2nd from right – Leo Griggs pictured left) might be able to explain why the project may have cost £1,753,527.70 instead of the estimated cost of £797,000?

As always, we’ll leave you to decide if something is rotten in the District of Shepway.

The Shepwayvox Team

Update

The first of the POs was cancelled. However, at the time of publication this information was NOT in the public domain. When was the PO cancelled? Before or after our comments?

All of the payments listed below relate to Purchase Order SD00242: Date Ref Amount.

21/12/2017 416478 £58,805.00
23/11/2017 415188 £60,799.77
26/10/2017 413404 £39,897.23
28/09/2017 412324 £19,335.83
31/08/2017 410713 £19,587.10