Folkestone £15.4m Town Centre Contract Sparks Transparency Concerns Over Tender Timeline

Folkestone & Hythe District Council is pushing ahead with a £19.8 million government-funded regeneration programme intended to revitalise key areas of the town centre. However, a mismatch in official timelines and public records has raised concerns about transparency, particularly regarding the awarding of the £15.4 million contract for major road and public space improvements.

“Folkestone: A Brighter Future” regeneration plan

In January 2023, the council successfully secured £19.8 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund Round 2 to deliver its flagship regeneration scheme, Folkestone: A Brighter Future. The overarching aim is to make the town centre more accessible and attractive, unlocking economic and social potential by overhauling critical transport and public realm infrastructure.

The programme is divided into several components. A major element involves the reconfiguration of the main bus station at Bouverie Square, changes to the legacy one-way road gyratory system around Shellons Street and Middelburg Square, and broader improvements to pedestrian and cycle connectivity, which will cost £15.4m with VAT included.

Other planned works include improvements to Folkestone Central Station (termed “Station Arrival”)

and the delivery of FOLCA – a repurposing of the former Debenhams building as a community and cultural venue.

These three schemes aims to address the issues that the town centre currently faces. Folkestone town centre suffers from high vacancy rates and an overall poor-quality urban environment. It’s been struggling over recent years and has seen a 16% drop in footfall over the last four years, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vacancy rates currently stand at 14.7%, and the regeneration scheme will aim to reduce this through improved access, transport integration, and enhancements to the public realm. The Folca building, which is currently vacant, will also be refurbished as part of the scheme, although this element will be delivered separately by Folkestone & Hythe District Council.

£15.4 million contract announced — but not publicly visible

In a Cabinet Member update published on 25 March 2025, Councillor Rich Holgate (Cabinet Member for Place, Heritage, Tourism and District Economy – pictured)) stated that Jackson Civil Engineering had been awarded the contract to carry out the town centre transport and public realm works. Holgate confirmed that work would begin on 7 April 2025, with completion targeted for summer 2026.

However, at a full council meeting on 2 April 2025, Councillor Nicola Keen (Lab – pictured) raised a formal question, having reviewed the council’s Contracts Register on 26 March 2025. She reported that no entry could be found for Jackson Civil Engineering — despite the company being named in the Cabinet update and scheduled to commence work within days.

Councillor Keen asked how a “substantial contract” of this nature could be progressing without a public record of its value, scope, or award details, calling the omission another example of a serious lack of transparency and weak internal oversight of procurement processes.

Holgate: Contract awarded by KCC, to be added to register after signing

Responding during the meeting, Councillor Holgate clarified that the procurement process had been run by Kent County Council (KCC), which is acting as both delivery partner and highways authority for this aspect of the regeneration programme. He said that KCC had formally awarded the contract to Jackson Civil Engineering on 10 January 2025, but explained that the entry on the Contracts Register would only appear once the contractor had signed the contract, which was expected to happen on 2 April — the very day of the meeting.

Official procurement site shows conflicting timeline

However, records published on the Find a Tender public procurement website indicate a different chronology.

• The contract notice — initiating the formal tender — was published on 29 January 2024.

• The deadline for bids was 22 February 2025.

• Work began on the 7 April 2025.

• The contract award notice, which confirms the winning bidder, was not published until 30 April 2025 — nearly a month after Cllr Keen raised the issue at the council meeting.

These dates suggest that no contract was formally awarded before 2 April 2025, as there was not publicly available information for Cllrs or the public to scrutinise, raising doubts about the accuracy of the council’s public statements.

Budget implications: £15.4 million contract drawn from £19.8 million fund

The contract awarded to Jackson Civil Engineering has an value of £12.8m million excluding VAT, according to the Find a Tender notice. Once VAT is added at 20%, the total cost of the town centre transport component rises to £15,366,278. This implies that only £4.4 million remains from the original £19.8 million Levelling Up Fund grant to cover the Station Arrival works and FOLCA redevelopment.

Given that both of these components also involve substantial infrastructure and refurbishment costs, the remaining budget is now under close scrutiny. It remains unclear whether additional funding will be required or whether the scope of those elements has been adjusted to fit within the remaining allocation.

Next steps

According to published plans, Jackson Civil Engineering will now carry out works on site throughout 2025 and into mid-2026. A Public Liaison Officer has been appointed to coordinate with businesses and residents as road and public space changes progress.

Council officers have indicated that further updates on project components, including Station Arrival and FOLCA, will be provided later in the year.

A call for clarity

While council officers and cabinet members insist the proper procedures were followed, the apparent lack of publicly available contract information have prompted renewed calls for greater transparency. Residents and councillors alike are seeking reassurance that large-scale contracts — particularly those involving central government funds — are subject to timely disclosure and proper scrutiny.

The Shepway Vox Team

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