News

Dear Editor,

Threat of government action hangs over Shepway, rated a poor performing council by the Audit Commission. 

The only items keeping the council out of real trouble are the hoped for new sports centre privatisation plans and the cash saving from the handing over of street cleaning and maintenance activities to an outside contractor. 

Despite being warned by the Auditors to sign a contract with the outside contractor, currently working on a word of mouth basis, Shepway have decided to ignore that advice and take the work back again, at vast cost to the council. Half a million from reserves so far. 

Shepway have also told Folkestone Sports Centre and Hythe Town Council last week that it cannot say where it will obtain the many millions required to go on with the sports privatisation plans. I understand Shepway are already in debt to the tune of over ₤30m, having in effect mortgaged the next two years worth of council tax. Reserves are now below the recommended limits and finances are critical and cuts in service inevitable.

Folkestone Sports Centre have just been told by Shepway in an acrimonious meeting, that contrary to what was agreed, the new private contractors will NOT continue with Folkestone’s existing outdoor sports, such as the Ski Slope, Golf Course, Tennis Courts and the Skateboard Park and that attendances at the new pool have to rise by 200 per cent for the new scheme to break even. 

The inevitable argument is that closure of Hythe Pool will boost attendances by a huge amount at Folkestone, estimated at 30,000 plus footfalls a year, when people from Hythe are forced to go to Folkestone to swim. This Hythe closure will make the new Folkestone pool financially viable. 

Unless therefore something is done fast by Hythe Town and District Councillors to force the repair of the existing Hythe Pool, it will inevitably close. Shepway’s other pluses from closing Hythe Pool include the fact that they will get to keep the current ₤360,000 per annum subsidy, and the closure will leave them with ₤4m to ₤5m from the sale of the Hythe site for another housing development.

All this is being talked about in closed meetings and most councillors therefore have not been able to put two and two together. Announcing bad news in the run up to the elections is not welcomed by the political parties at Shepway, particularly since they will have spent over ₤1m on the scheme, mostly on lawyers and consultants. 

Time is running out for the public in both Folkestone and Hythe to start screaming at their councillors, or lose the Hythe Pool completely and all the outdoor sports at the Folkestone Centre, so act now. 

Martin Ross