Cllr David Monk has a new occupation

He’s been a double glazing salesman, a Cllr since 1995; and now he has a new occupation as an Occupational Therapist, since July 2021.

Yes, Cllr David Drury Monk, Leader of Folkestone & Hythe District Council now describes his occupation as Occupational Therapist, and a Director of KB Occupational Health & Safety Services Limited, according to Companies House.

Cllr Monk became a director and Occupational Therapist in K B OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY SERVICES LIMITED, on the 13/07/21, along with his wife Gillian Monk (both pictured). Cllr Monk has not informed the monitoring officer, Amandeep Khroud (who appears not to monitor much), of the changes. He is required to inform the monitoring officer of any changes to his Discosable Pecuniary Interests within 28 days.

The Localism Act 2011 (Chapter 7) requires all Cllrs  to disclose all Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) which are defined in the legislation and affect all councillors. All councillors are required by law to make a written declaration of any DPIs which they or their partner have regarding certain elements of the following topics:

• Employment, office, trade, profession

• Licences

• Sponsorship – including election expenses

• Corporate tenancies

• Contracts

• Securities

• Land

All Cllrs, not just Cllr Monk’s register of interests form, must be amended within 28 days following any change to their DPI interests, during their term of office.

This means Cllr Monk had until the 9 August, to inform the monitoring officer of the new company, his directorship and his new profession of Occupational Therapist, at the very least.

According to a download on 19th Nov, 2021, there had been no changes to Cllr Monk’s Register of Interests.

We doubt the Monitoring Officer – Amandeep Khroud (pictured) will take any action against Cllr Monk. The failure to declare a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest can be a criminal offence leading to a prison sentence or a fine, but neither of these will happen. Nor will he get a slap on the wrist.

We also note that there are a total of 0 (zero) entries on the ICO Data Protection Register for Cllr Monk & his wife’s company, K B OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY SERVICES LIMITED, which shows they are more likely than in breach of Data Protection law.

We honestly doubt Cllr Monk is a Seventy Seven year old Occupational Therapist. He does not appear on the Health & Care Professions Councils register

An occupational therapist’s job is to help people of all ages to overcome any permanent loss or lack of physical, sensory, mental or communication function.

Their aim is to help people improve their ability to function as independently as possible so that they can participate in whatever activities are meaningful and important to them. Occupational therapists do this mainly by identifying and eliminating environmental barriers to independence and participation in normal daily life.

We also note that All Health Matters Ltd, where Cllr Monk sits as a Director, has set up All Health Matters Trustee Ltd, on the 24 Mar 2021. Cllr Monk is NOT a director of the latter company. He has declared his interest as a Director of All Health Matters Ltd, on his Register of Interests form. That said we see that All Health Matters Ltd, “Person of Significant Control“, is All Health Matters Trustee Ltd; and their “Person of Significant Control” is All Health Matters Limited. This behavior is most certainly a red flag, as it’s a key way to try to hide ownership and who the ultimate beneficial owner is.

So, there you have it. The leader of our Council, Cllr David Drury Monk does not appear to lead by example, in matters regarding compliance with the legislation or Governance, as laid out in the council’s constitution.

Is this also a failure of Governance by the monitoring officer?

It appears the Assistant Director of Governance, Law and Regulatory Services at Folkestone & Hythe District Council, Amandeep Khroud, is not enforcing the legislation required, as she’s not monitoring much, yet draws a £95,000 salary, including fees and allowances.

There is a perfectly legal way to correct this regular issue of Cllrs “forgetting” to inform the monitoring officer, of any DPI changes.

The Council could, if they had the will, or the inclination, write a piece of code to collect the changes of companies and individuals in which Cllrs on FHDC sit, via Companies House, as it directly affects their DPIs. Any changes could be notified to the Monitoring Officer, who could then send an email to said Cllr, with a form to complete regarding any changes necessary, as they effect a DPI of theirs. That would be good governance.

Yes, it can be done. The Council are the Data Controller of Cllrs Personal Information, including the necessity to be compliment with the Localism Act 2011.

We ask:

Does the Monitoring Officer have eyes to see?

Is it is a case of wilful blindness? Which “can equate to knowledge in some circumstances”. 

Does it show Cllr & Monitoring Officer shut their eyes to the obvious or refrained from inquiry because they each suspected the truth but did not want to have their suspicion confirmed?

Does the Monitoring Officer have desire; and drive to seek a solution?

Does Cllr Monk have any regard to his lawful responsibilities?

Does Cllr Monk lack Integrity, which is after all, one of the Seven Principles of Public Life?

We’ll leave you to ponder that.

The Shepway Vox Team

Journalism for the People NOT the Powerful