Dr Susan Priest Chief Exec of FHDC fails to land top KCC job
Dr Susan Priest became Head of Paid Service of Folkestone & Hythe District Council as of April 1st 2018, beating the s151 officer Tim Madden to the job. She later [...]
Kent County Council
Part 1: Overpayment of millions by KCC domiciliary service users due to call clipping ancedotal evidence suggests
The outsourcing revolution in social care started with the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, which established councils’ central functions as assessing need and funding and [...]
Senior Council Officers and Cllrs rewarded handsomely for losing public purse tens of thousands of pounds
Between them they have lost the public purse tens of thousands of pounds and failed to keep the publication scheme up to date. The publication scheme aims to make the maximum [...]
Broadband slowly improving across the district
Once again the latest data released by Ofcom for Broadband connectivity and speeds across our area shows a very mixed bag. It shows that Hawkinge for instance has 38.4% [...]
Ask your local Parish, Town, District County council to put heat pumps under playing fields and parks
One of the things which has come out of the pandemic is how important nature is to us all. Our green spaces have provided us with places to relax and enjoy nature at close [...]
Ex Mayor gets Dick out.
Ex Mayor of Folkestone Cllr Jackie Meade (Lab) May 2019/May20 ousted incumbent Kent County Council Tory Cllr Dick Pascoe, and took the Folkestone East seat in the KCC [...]
Flytipping increases 18% after costs introduced by KCC in 2019/20
It’s official! The number of flying tipping incidences between the financial years 2018/19 and 2019/20 has risen across all twelve councils in Kent (not including [...]
Folkestone & Hythe District Council buy Ship Street site twice
Updated: 17/04/21 @08:42 On the 20th October 2019, Kentonline Folkestone section declared that Folkestone & Hythe District Council had bought the former Gasworks site at [...]
Lethal levels of arsenic present on former Officers Mess Aerodrome Road Hawkinge site.
Updated: 01/04/21 @20:27 Land at the Former Officers Mess, Elvington Lane, Aerodrome Road Hawkinge purchased by Pentland Homes on 01/12/2020 for £2.5 million, according to [...]
Hypocrisy by District and Kent County Cllrs over Council Tax
For those of you not aware, Council tax debt is the most common debt seen by Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) advisers. The CAB estimated in the first 3 months of Coronavirus, [...]
Nine Kent Councils collect £3.5 million in Penalty Charge Notices
Between August 2019 and July 2020, according to data collected through Freedom of Information (FoI) requests by Compare the Market, Medway Council has issued the most Penalty [...]
Greenie grumbler to step down at next KCC election
On Thursday 2nd May 2013, Martin Edward Whybrow (Green) (pictured) was elected with 1,659 votes to Kent County Council Hythe Ward. He beat Cllr David Drury Monk (Con) who [...]
The Long Read: 52-54 Guildhall Street and other tales of “Technical Issues”
Following our ‘more tales of the unexpected’ piece in September, which briefly mentioned the gap in the streetscape at 52-54 Guildhall Street owned by Brian James Parry [...]
Part 1: What do we know about John Bunnett, the man responsible for the £2.7bn Otterpool Park development
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 [...]
Claire’s story and the scandal of fuel poverty in Kent
“I worried about her especially as winter was setting in. She wasn’t here for the books but the warmth .” says Julia a librarian in Kent (not her real [...]
Part 2: KCC Pension Fund is divesting from fossil fuels but still investing in countries who do not uphold LGBT rights
The KCC Pension Fund total investments were valued at £6.6bn on 31 December 2019. Just three months later, on the 31st March 2020, the pension value had shrunk to £5.7 [...]
KCC “Profiteering” from caring for migrant children under 18
On the 1st April 2019, Kent County Council (KCC) were caring for 254 under 18 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC). By March 31st 2020, KCC were caring from 450 UASC, [...]
Part 1: Are Kent County Council Finances in Safe Hands?
Zena Cooke (pictured) is probably a woman you have never heard of. There is no need for you to have ever heard of her. She is Kent County Council’s (KCC) Director of [...]
Exclusive: Kent County Council’s response to Govt Free port Consultation revealed
The Shepwayvox Team have managed to get hold of Kent County Council’s response to the Government’s consultation on a proposed new Free port policy. It can be [...]
Kent County Council & Dover District Council support Port of Dover’s proposals for Free port (Offshore) for East Kent.
On the 13th July, Cllr Trevor Bartlett, Leader of Dover District Council, said: “Dover District Council wholeheartedly supports the Port of Dover’s proposals for Freeport [...]
Foreign Criminal Organisation Perpetrate Ransomware attack on £600m Kent County Council owned company
Following on from our first report on the ransomware attack 12 days ago, a Kent County Council (KCC) spokesperson has revealed to the Shepwayvox Team that it was: “A [...]
£600 Million Pound Company Wholly Owned By Kent County Council Suffers Ransomware Attack
Updated -23rd May 14.45 On the 2nd April at 1:30am Kent Commercial Services, wholly owned by Kent County Council suffered a ransomware attack and took down their website. The [...]
Taken For A Ride?
During the coronavirus crisis, buses are more vital than ever. Although many people are staying at home, getting key workers out is crucial. However, the Shepwayvox Team has [...]
Watchdog to examine Kent Councils £373 Million Property Investment Spree
With the world concentrating it’s attention on the Covid-19 pandemic other issues are, understandably, passing unnoticed. One of these issues is the announcement by [...]
FHDC still paying NowMedical for reports after lockdown begun
At the begining of March we brought you the story about – How a doctor who has never seen you can say you’re fit enough to sleep on the streets of Kent. In short [...]