John Bunnett

Otterpool Park update: Borrowing, hidden soft market testing and a Dodgy man in charge

July 4, 2021 // 4 Comments

To purchase Folkestone racecourse site from the Reuben Brothers for £25 million; which included Monk’s private fishing lake, the council borrowed the money, but [...]

Otterpool Park & Quinn Estates interest in Sellindge grows

February 13, 2021 // 1 Comment

Plans to progress Otterpool Park to a revised planning application has been underway for quite some time. As revealed by the bloggers at slurry.org.uk last [...]

Folkestone & Hythe District Council use 107 procurement contract waivers to bypass normal procurement rules to the value of more than £11 million.

December 16, 2020 // 6 Comments

The latest estimate of contract procurement fraud in local government was £4.4 billion pounds. Between 2016/17 and 2020/21 the Council have issued one hundred and seven [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Is It For Profit?

December 2, 2020 // 4 Comments

The fundamentals of using a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) to deliver Otterpool, is to make it tax efficient and allow the greatest return to to the council for building [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Council project £193 million profit for Otterpool

November 24, 2020 // 0 Comments

In a 54 page document, Folkestone & Hythe District Council have set out the Draft – Otterpool Park Business Plan for discussion by the Overview & Scrutiny [...]

Part 1: What do we know about John Bunnett, the man responsible for the £2.7bn Otterpool Park development

November 16, 2020 // 5 Comments

John Bunnett is the man charged with delivering the £2.7bn project we know as Otterpool Park. This development is anticipated to deliver 8,500 homes, in the first phase with [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Priest Under Pressure

October 16, 2020 // 2 Comments

The courts say they must release it. The Information Upper Tier tribunal say they must release it. But still Folkestone & Hythe District Council, led by Dr Susan Priest, [...]

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: It’s Official. Folkestone & Hythe District Council Now Own The Racecourse

July 3, 2020 // 2 Comments

Updated: 26/10/20 @12:40 It’s official. Folkestone & Hythe District Council now own Folkestone racecourse, according to the land registry. The deal has taken close [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Council set up two new companies to deliver the project and land registry docs show deal to buy racecourse still not completed.

April 30, 2020 // 2 Comments

Folkestone & Hythe District Council have set up two companies which will look after the delivery of the 10,000 homes Otterpool Park development. The first company [...]

The Chosen One Has Been Found

February 29, 2020 // 2 Comments

In a month’s time Folkestone & Hythe District Council will welcome into its ranks a new Director of Place. They will receive up to £116,000 with a relocation [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Council purchase racecourse for £26.2m, while spreading fake news across the district

February 6, 2020 // 1 Comment

Folkestone & Hythe District Council, have agreed on a price of £26.2 million to purchase Folkestone racecourse land from the Reuben Brothers company – Cozumel [...]

John “Buy Me A Car” Bunnett

January 28, 2020 // 16 Comments

John Bunnett (pictured) is currently Folkestone & Hythe District Council’s Corporate Director for Otterpool Park. He is the man who is able to spend the £100 [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Westenhanger Station Expansion

January 26, 2020 // 3 Comments

They haven’t told them and they haven’t told you, but then again that’s just par for the course. Once again Folkestone & Hythe District Council have [...]

Dunning Kruger Effect Alive And Well At Folkestone & Hythe District Council

January 16, 2020 // 2 Comments

If you’ve ever dealt with someone whose performance stinks, and they’re not only clueless that their performance stinks but they’re confident that their performance is [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Council Offer £25 million to purchase Racecourse from Reuben Brothers

January 11, 2020 // 3 Comments

Exclusive Folkestone & Hythe District Council have received a valuation of between £22 – 36 million pounds for the land owned by the Reuben Brothers company, [...]

Otterpool Park Update: Council Make £26 million Offer To Buy Reuben Brothers Land

January 5, 2020 // 4 Comments

Exclusive Folkestone & Hythe District Council Corporate Director for Place and Commercial – John Bunnett (pictured), was in Nov 2019 given the green light to begin [...]

Otterpool Park update: Council spends £5.1 million on property in 2019

December 6, 2019 // 2 Comments

At the annual MIPIM property conference in Cannes in March of this year, the Department for International Trade (DIT) revealed the investment opportunity – Otterpool [...]

Folkestone & Hythe District Council senior management handsomely rewarded for failure

June 30, 2019 // 2 Comments

The top three tiers of management at Folkestone & Hythe District Council (F&HDC) have been handsomely rewarded for their failure to manage and oversee the Swale [...]

Folkestone & Hythe DC to purchase Connect 38 Ashford, Kent

March 9, 2019 // 6 Comments

Updated 18:50 Sunday 10th March On Wednesday 13th at 5pm the Folkestone & Hythe District Council Cabinet (F&HDC) will meet at the Civic Centre. Agenda Item 11 & [...]

Bagging a bargain by undue influence?

March 2, 2019 // 7 Comments

Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC) offered a number of residents of Shorncliffe Crescent (pictured below) the chance to buy small parcels of land at the end of [...]

Otterpool Park Update: £18.9 million for land/property acquisitions

November 10, 2018 // 3 Comments

Folkestone & Hythe District Council Cabinet meeting on the 14th Nov will recommend to full council that it borrows an additional £10 million (the annual interest [...]

The Long Read: – Our local housing crisis & a potential solution.

April 29, 2018 // 2 Comments

Housing and access to housing are probably the single biggest issues in the district. It is also a national issue as well we know. The Cabinet Member responsible for Housing [...]

Alistair’s £184,000 golden goodbye

March 24, 2018 // 6 Comments

So long, farewell Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye to Mr Alistair Stewart Chief Executive of Shepway District Council, on the 31st March. When Mr Stewart drives of into the sunset [...]

Job losses and efficiency savings at Shepway District Council.

February 15, 2018 // 2 Comments

“…during these difficult times we [the management] will be making every effort possible to ensure that the impact on staff of these cuts is as small as [...]

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