Part 1 – Kent Donors to local & national Tory party
“A little bit of money goes a very long way.” Political donations have been at the heart of many a scandal, but does it matter that at local and national level, parties [...]
August 2021
My name is still Graham, I am still a gamer.
This is a guest post Back in Dec, I wrote a guest piece about my hobby. Guess what it is. Go on, guess. Anyway, I’m told that some people not only read it, but liked [...]
Princes Parade Update: Council seeks Leisure Centre Operator for 10 year £23 million contract
On the 23 August, Folkestone & Hythe District Council, let it be known they are seeking to procure the services of a suitable, experienced operator in the leisure [...]
The Grand employees call out Michael Stainer!!
There are some very angry people who have lost all patience with Michael Stainer (below left), the twice-bankrupt ex-director of the Grand’s owners, and Robert Moss [...]
Sandbanks – New Romney: Are local Tories ‘in hock’ to developers via their donations?
Sandbanks planning application was successful at last night’s Planning Committee. However, it’s clear the closeness of the developer Leo Griggs with members of [...]
Perverse & absurd, but KCC keep paying their offshore PFI contractors
Back in 2013, Peter Read, who runs the Kent Independent Education Advice website, uncovered a financial scandal relating to academies. In his article published on 22 Sept [...]
Dangerous Pavements and Rampant Weeds blighting our beautiful district
“Appearance Matters” so said Cllr David Monk (Con), Leader of Folkestone & Hythe District Council at a full council meeting on the 19 Sept 2018. Since then he [...]
Cllr Rory Love’s application for Public Inquiry into stopping up road at Princes Parade accepted
Kent County Council Cllr Rory Love OBE (Con) (pictured) & Andy Weatherhead (Con) petition application for a public inquiry into the stopping up of the road at Princes [...]
Leo Griggs in discussions to sell flats at Sandbanks – New Romney – to Council
On the 15th Dec 2020, planning application 20/0690/FH – Sandbanks, Coast Road, Littlestone, New Romney, went before the planning committee. The applicant was Leo Griggs [...]
Princes Parade Update: Badger Sett & Ecological matters set to go before Planning on 24th August.
What with the Save Princes Parade Group continuing to keep up the pressure on Folkestone & Hythe District Council with a demonstration on Sunday the 15 August, we note [...]
Stodmarsh Update: Proposals to lift moratorium on development will be presented to government in the next few weeks
Many people are worried and concerned about development in our district and beyond, but is their concern justified? In 2017 the University of Sheffield released maps showing [...]
Who Bought The Grand? – The ‘Mystery Solved
After weeks of speculation, the ‘mystery’ of who bought the freehold of the Grand has been revealed. It was a company, the Grand (Folkestone) Residents Ltd set up by a [...]
On Street Parking contract loses £1.1 million in eight of the last ten years
On and off street parking in the Folkestone & Hythe District is always a bone of contention. In the last ten financial years (Apr 1 – March 31) Folkestone & [...]
2,338 hours of untreated diluted sewage discharged into sea of Folkestone & Hythe District in 2020.
Southern Water owned offshore in the tax haven of Jersey, discharged untreated diluted sewage into the sea of the Folkestone & Hythe District coastline for two thousand [...]
Revealed: Dead people invoiced for domiciliary care and KCC refuse to release time clipping data.
Evidence has emerged that dead people are being invoiced for domiciliary care they could not have received; and persons moved to care homes are still being invoiced by [...]
Further budget cuts at KCC will mean more inflation busting Council Tax increases
Like night follows day, like sunshine follows rain, the raising of Council Tax bills in Feb 2022 across all Kent district councils is inevitable due to KCC looking to plug a [...]
KCC Pension Fund Investments continue to divest from fossil fuel companies
For its 142,532 members it is good news, so is it for the rest of us. Kent County Council’s Pension Fund has in the main divested itself of oil and gas stock which [...]
Council purchase more than £75 million pounds of land & property in last 5 years.
Between Jan 2015 and July 2021, Folkestone & Hythe District Council and it’s company Oportunitas Ltd have purchased seventy three pieces of land and/or property, [...]