Where Is the Contract? Scrutiny Intensifies as ‘Folkestone: A Brighter Future’ Regeneration Scheme Set to Begin Without Public Record

With just days to go before diggers are due to break ground on the £20m flagship Folkestone: A Brighter Future regeneration scheme, serious questions are mounting over the absence of a legally required contract on the public register.

At Wednesday’s Full Council meeting, Cllr Nicola Keen (Lab – pictured)) confronted Cabinet Member for Place Plan, Heritage, Tourism and District Economy, Cllr Rich Holgate (Green), over a striking omission. In a formal question, Cllr Keen highlighted that Jackson Civil Engineering—named in Holgate’s 25 March update as the appointed contractor—was nowhere to be found on the public Contracts Register as of 26 March.

“Given that Jackson Civil Engineering is scheduled to begin work on 7 April,” said Cllr Keen (Lab), “how is it possible that, as of 25 March—the date the Cabinet Member’s report was published—and following a review of the Contracts Register on 26 March, the company does not appear on the register? No details have been made publicly available regarding the contract’s scope or value.”

Cllr Keen went further, accusing the administration of sidestepping basic principles of transparency and accountability, and raising “serious concerns about the council’s internal controls and oversight of procurement processes.”

In response, Cllr Holgate assured the chamber that the contract would be signed on 2 April and uploaded to the Kent Business Portal. But as of today, 4 April, no such contract has been published—not on Folkestone & Hythe District Council’s register, nor on Kent County Council’s.

With work scheduled to begin on Monday 7 April, the absence of any published agreement raises a stark question: how can a contractor legally begin work when no contract is visible to the public, stakeholders, or elected members?

At stake is not just the integrity of a major regeneration scheme, but public confidence in the council’s ability to uphold basic standards of procurement transparency.

The public deserves answers. And fast.

The Shepway Vox Team

Not Owned By Hedgefunds or Barons