East Kent Opportunties Why the Skullduggery?

Here are the top secret documents which I had to fight to get from Thanet Council and which show how the taxpayers of Thanet will now have to pay up to £100,000 to cover the costs of East Kent Opportunities  (a 50:50 partnership between Thanet Council and Kent County Council) appealing against Thanet Council's Planning decision to reject its plans to build 550 houses on agricultural land on the New Haine Road.

EKOs  planning application was rejected by TDC on 16 October 2013. On 4th November Clive Hart the political leader of Thanet Council and Sue McGonigal the Chief Executive of Thanet Council were involved in an EKO Board telephone conference which agreed to seek advice from a QC about how to invalidate a democratic planning decision of the Council  which they both run and who's policies and decisions  they are both supposed to uphold. Not much loyalty there eh!  Surely this was a massive conflict of interests?  Yet both Hart and McGonigal failed to declare and failed to act on this conflict.

On 14 November Hart and  McGonigal attended an EKO board  meeting in Maidstone. They reviewed the QCs advice and they both supported the decision to launch a planning appeal against TDC. An organisation they both run and who's policies they are both supposed to uphold. Again no declaration from either of them that they have a massive conflict of  interest. The result  of this situation is that the 2 most senior people at Thanet Council have through their actions  caused TDC to be fighting itself at a Planning Public Enquiry which will cost approaching £100,000.

Who will pay the bill?  You of course. And don't forget, after its original planning application was rejected in October 2013, EKO could have submitted a second application at  NO EXTRA COST which could have addressed the all the reasons  for rejection.

So why all this skulduggery (I will be revealing more shortly) to force the planning application through? I can only assume that its because there is a massive black hole in the Council's finances which has been kept hidden from councillors and the public. This hole desperately needs  filling and what better way than granting planning permission for 550 houses on land you own and then selling the land off for a massive profit.

I will be writing more about the black hole later. Suffice to say some people might not be visiting dreamland for  several  nights as the truth emergences. Its time for a change.