Cllr Jim Martin

Southern Water Bewl Water Signs Show £30m and £40m as FHDC Faces Statutory Nuisance Test

March 29, 2026 // 0 Comments

Two Southern Water signs at Bewl Water appear to describe the same reservoir-upgrade scheme, yet one says “over £30 million” and the other says “over £40 million”. [...]

Hamstreet Sewage Scandal: Why FHDC Failed to Act While Ashford Investigated

March 8, 2026 // 2 Comments

Residents raised a serious complaint about suspected foul contamination moving from Hamstreet towards Hythe and the sea. One council replied with site visits, [...]

Folkestone & Hythe Council Budget: Council Tax Rise, Reserves Drawdown and Debt Repayment Shake-Up

February 26, 2026 // 0 Comments

Folkestone & Hythe District Council’s budget debate yesterday evening didn’t hinge on a big, obvious “cuts list”. It hinged on something far less [...]

Southern Water Legal Action: Folkestone & Hythe District Council Escalate Sewage Pollution Fight

February 22, 2026 // 2 Comments

Folkestone & Hythe District Council, Southern Water and the Environment Agency faced residents and campaigners in the same room on Thursday 19 February, to discuss sewage [...]

Southern Water Bills Rise as Sewage Spills Persist: 50 Years of Warnings on the Kent Coast

February 1, 2026 // 2 Comments

Southern Water customers are being asked to pay more again, and the public justification is that the money will “fix” the system. From April, the average bill is due to [...]

Why Is FHDC Paying 53% of the Folkestone Pool Rebuild (£2.4m of £4.5m) Without Owning the Sports Centre?

January 29, 2026 // 0 Comments

At last night’s Full Council, Cllr Nicola Keen cut to the simplest version of the Folkestone Sports Centre row: why is Folkestone & Hythe District Council being asked [...]

Folkestone & Hythe Council Tax Rise Explained: Where the Money Goes and What It Means for Local Services

January 14, 2026 // 1 Comment

Folkestone & Hythe District Council has begun the annual civic tradition of explaining why everything costs more, while promising not to make it feel like it does. Last [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Millions Budgeted While Outline Permission Still Unissued; Homes England Recognises ‘Market Failure’ as 31 Dec 2026 Long-Stop Nears

November 26, 2025 // 3 Comments

By any normal measure, a council that “resolved to grant” outline planning permission, in April 2023, for a new settlement of this scale (8,500 homes) would be sprinting [...]

Otterpool Park Exposed: How Folkestone & Hythe’s 10,000-Home ‘Garden Town’ Is Spending Millions Without Planning Permission

November 18, 2025 // 3 Comments

Folkestone & Hythe District Council is gearing up for yet another intense round of work on Otterpool Park – still without an actual planning permission in place, more [...]

Folkestone & Hythe District Council: What the Cabinet Portfolio Reports Reveal

September 24, 2025 // 1 Comment

At each Full Council, Folkestone & Hythe District Council follows its usual rhythm: every Cabinet Member delivers a brief, seamless update on their portfolio. The set for [...]

Is this surprising? UK Local Government: About 75% of Britons Feel Little or No Influence Over Local Decisions

September 18, 2025 // 0 Comments

Only 23% of Britons say they have any influence over decisions in their local area. About three-quarters (75%) say they have little or no influence over local decisions; 23% [...]

Folkestone’s Leas in Crisis: Locals Fight to Save Historic Promenade from Neglect and Landslides

July 12, 2025 // 5 Comments

This is a Guest Post Big changes are coming to local government across Kent—and Folkestone & Hythe District Council will not be immune. By mid-2028, the current [...]

Methane and CO₂ Emissions at Princes Parade Clash with Council’s Climate Commitments

July 5, 2025 // 1 Comment

Updated 09:30, 7 July 2025 The future of Princes Parade—a contentious strip of coastal land owned by Folkestone & Hythe District Council—has resurfaced as a [...]

Section 106 Disaster in Folkestone: £1.7 Million Missing, No Affordable Homes Delivered

July 3, 2025 // 2 Comments

Fourteen affordable homes promised. £1.716 million pledged in Section 106 contributions. Not a brick laid, not a pound received. Instead, Stoneleigh House and its adjoining [...]

Have Your Say on Princes Parade: Council Hosts Public Drop-in Sessions Amid Calls to Protect Open Space

July 3, 2025 // 1 Comment

Residents are being invited to shape the future of Princes Parade at two public drop-in sessions tomorrow & Saturday, as Folkestone & Hythe District Council renews [...]

Council Leader Jim Martin Knew of £21M Princes Parade Offer, Leaked Email Reveals

June 30, 2025 // 5 Comments

At a full meeting of Folkestone & Hythe District Council on 26 February 2025, Cllr Jenny Hollingsbee (Con) asked Council Leader Cllr Jim Martin (Green) whether he was [...]

Princes Parade Update: Oscar Winning performances at full Council by Chris Farrell & Cllr Jim Martin

December 1, 2022 // 3 Comments

Where to begin, as there was so much discussed at last nights full Council, 30 Nov 2022. As they say though, the best place to begin is at the beginning So we’ll start [...]

Folkestone & Hythe District Council issue £6.2 million worth of contracts bypassing normal tendering processes

August 9, 2020 // 9 Comments

£6.2 million pounds worth of contracts in 2019/20 were issued by Folkestone & Hythe District Council, using waivers and citing urgency and expediency. In total, 49 [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Cllr Jim Martin “Shocked” Council appoint Tibbalds using a waiver for phase 1 of the Otterpool Park, at a cost of £120,000.

June 11, 2020 // 3 Comments

At a behind closed doors meeting of the Otterpool Working Group in April, an officer of the Council let slip that Tibbalds had been appointed as consultants to prepare [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Ten Cllrs Champion High Quality Outcomes for Reuben Brothers & Council

November 3, 2019 // 6 Comments

Ten district Cllrs from all parties met behind closed doors at the inaugural Otterpool Park Working Group (OPWG), on the 7th Oct 2019. They were there to discuss how they [...]

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