Bad Business, Bad Democracy, Bad Management: Secret £100,000 Loan for Folkestone Arch Slammed

Sandgate Councillor Tim Prater has slammed the way that £100,000 of Shepway funds were promised to Step Short to pay additional costs on the Folkestone Memorial Arch project without public, cabinet or Council agreement.

A paper "for noting" the payment was tabled at Wednesday evening's Cabinet meeting, but the decision had already been made by Shepway Council Leader David Monk and promised to Step Short.

A number of Shepway Cabinet members expressed reservations about and even voted against the funding. The funding comes on top of £200,000 already agreed through Council and an additional £40,000 for "event support" also agreed at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening.

Tim Prater said:

"Any pretence at openness, democracy and due process at Shepway District Council has been abandoned.

"This payment was forced through on David Monk's say-so. The agenda for this meeting was issued seven days before the meeting. This payment did not appear on that agenda. Papers for the item were handed out at the meeting. They were not made available beforehand. Worse, this is being dressed up as a loan - but there is no real expectation that Shepway Council Tax payers will ever get their money back.

"If more money was needed for the Arch project, the right thing to do was to say so openly and allow Cabinet and Councillors to debate and agree it in advance. But no - that's not the Shepway way these days. Instead a grubby deal was done in advance with the huge majority of Councillors knowing nothing about it. That's not democracy - that's despotism.

"To agree another £100,000 without discussing it in Council is bad for democracy. To pretend it's a loan when it's nothing of the kind is bad business. And to force it through practically in secret and splitting your cabinet is bad management and bad leadership.

"The phrase 'Lions led by Donkeys' is often used to describe the WW1 infantry and the generals that led them. It also describes those who sought a fitting tribute in Shepway for the sacrifice of those infantry, and the Council leadership that so undermines the Arch by the way they are railroading taxpayers money for the project without wider support."