More contractual woes at the Council

The stupidity of alleged professionals who receive generous salaries and work for Folkestone & Hythe District Council, never ceases to amaze us. Once again these alleged professionals demonstrate the Dunning Kruger Effect and Peter Principle are alive and well in local government in our district.

Once they say is a mistake, twice is a pattern and three times is a habit. And the publicly available evidence shows the Council are getting into very bad habits regarding their contracts.

On the 16th Nov 2020, Arlingclose Ltd started a two week contract with Folkestone & Hythe District Council. They were contracted to provide advice to the Council on the borrowing strategy and the capital financing implications for the Otterpool Park Business Plan being prepared by the Otterpool Park LLP and due to be presented to Cabinet in January 2021. The value of the contract was £17,054.   However, according to the Council this contract was awarded after the contract finished. The contract was awarded on the 5th March 2021, some three months after the contract had ended.

On the 1st May 2019, Mears Limited started a six month contract with Folkestone & Hythe District Council. They were contracted to provide Electrical Condition Inspection Reports (EICR) for Social Housing and associated repairs to 125 social housing properties throughout the district. The value of the contract was £18,603.75.   However, according to the Council, this contract was awarded two years after the contract finished. It was they say awarded on the 5th April 2021.

On the 1st Oct 2020, Npower Ltd started a four year contract with Folkestone & Hythe District Council. They’ve contracted to provide street lights electricity supply (UMS) in the Folkestone & Hythe district. The value of the contract was £189,012.89.   However, according to the Council, this contract was awarded a year after it started on the 1st Oct 2021.

There you we have it. Three contracts  – and there are many more examples we could show you – awarded after the contract had began or after it had finished. This habit the council has fallen into, is not good procurement practice, nor does it follow the procurement rules as set out in the Council’s own constitution.

Given that a £40 million waste contract with Veolia has recently gone pear shaped, is it time for the Council to begin looking for a new a new employee who overseas the contracts at the Council?

Should the Council bid the current council officer responsible for  Regulatory Services & Corporate Contracts, Mr Andrew Rush, farewell for the above failings?

Nobody at the Council will be held responsible for awarding in excess of £200,000 pounds worth of contracts after they’d long begun, or after they’d finished.

Nobody will be losing their job.

And nobody will apologise we expect.

All the residents of the district can do is look on and feel safe in the knowledge that the Dunning Kruger Effect, and Peter Principle, are alive and well at Folkestone & Hythe District Council.

The Shepway Vox Team

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