West Thornton councillor Stuart King, the current leader of the Labour group at the Town Hall, has got himself a new job.
New job: Stuart King, Croydon Labour leader
And unlike some of the councillors in his group, King has had no problem making sure that his public declarations of interest are bang up to date…
King has become a director of a newly registered firm of lobbyists for the property industry, Quoin Partners, alongside Peter John, Labour’s former leader of Southwark Council, and Kevin Davis, once the Tory leader in Kingston.
John, Davis and King have all left roles with Terrapin, the public relations firm run by the notorious Peter Bingle, and which played a part in the lobbying of Croydon Council over Crystal Palace’s new main stand at Selhurst Park.
According to a statement, Quoin will “advise developers, investors and operators on navigating the complex political and planning landscape across local authorities, combined authorities and central government”. So much like Terrapin, then.
The whole lobbying sector has the look of monied interests finding ways to get around public bodies, local authorities and planning restrictions. Quoin is not shy about offering their directors’ experience and contacts.
“With decades of experience from the front line of local government, Quoin Partners understands how decisions are made, how partnerships are built and how projects get delivered,” John is quoted as saying in PR Week, without even the merest hint that he thinks it might sound like he’s offering back-room deals.
“We are helping business to navigate the UK political landscape and unlock opportunities for housing, development and growth.”
Shell company: Peter John has taken his influence and contacts to a new lobbying firm
The exit of King and his colleagues is a triple whammy for the management of Bingle’s Terrapin company.
John was Terrapin’s chair.
Terrapin has worked for many property developers and real estate investors, including Lendlease and Delancey, two of the biggest, who both landed hugely profitable schemes in Southwark, across the Aylesbury and Heygate estates and the Elephant and Castle. All were agreed while Peter John was the council leader.
King has been a Croydon councillor since 2014. He became Labour’s deputy leader at the Town Hall in October 2020 and has been group leader since May 2022.
He joined Terrapin as a senior account director in April 2021, while he was the cabinet member responsible for the council’s asset disposals, its capital programme and Growth Zone. King maintains that he has always made all possible declarations and removed himself from any discussions in which his employers may have had an interest.
Bargain deal: the Croydon Park Hotel was sold for £5m less than the council paid for it
Terrapin clients have also included Amro Real Estate Partners, who in January 2022 bought the Croydon Park Hotel from the council. The council had bought the hotel for £29.8million – more than the asking price – in a controversial, secretive deal in 2018. Less than four years later, the council sold it to Amro for £24.9million.
Fairview New Homes and Bellway are other Terrapin clients who have been active on the Croydon property market and dealing with the council’s planning department.
And all done entirely legally, of course.
King’s responsibilities as a councillor and leader of the Town Hall opposition, which he fulfils in his own time, will continue to see him paid more than £30,000 in allowances per year.
Read more: After billions in regeneration deals, might Bingle eye Croydon?
Read more: Council deputy leader gets new job working for lobbyists
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Why haven’t Bellway redeveloped the site of the old Croydon job centre in Dingwall Road? Are they land banking?
There were plans for an NHS clinic and 199 housing units with a pitiful 9% of them affordable.
Job for the new firm of lobbyists, to drag Piss-Poor and the rest of Croydon Council to avoid their endless red tape ?!
Where there’s brass there’s muck, as they say oop North
So King is joining the gravy train being created by his de facto boss Reed’s “Build Baby Build” hype. As with the Croydon Park Hotel site. Nothing ever seems to happen too quickly or happen at all with these developers.
For the unpopularist Labour Party now polling at 20% {and even lower} with such mediocre performers of the ilk of Reed & King whose influence only exists so long as they hold power and position are facing a future where this is going to slip out of their grasp. Appointing King for his public relations expertise appears to be a misnomer in itself, but surely it can only be on a short term contract up to June next year.
Except, Derek, King has been working for lobbyists for nearly five years.
He has jumped ship to a new lobbying firm I assume for more cash! However the brass neck of this Councillor to be a lobbyist and Councillor dare I say a conflict of interest there.
Working for a lobby company whilst being involved in politics really isn’t good at all. You can claim to recuse yourself, but it all just reeks of conflict of interest.
The fortunes of The Terrapin Group Ltd are on the slide. In their financial year ending 2019, their net assets had peaked at over £1.2m. The most recent figures, for 2024, were less than £289k, and the number of staff had halved in 12 months from 14 to 7. No surprise then that the sinking ship is being abandoned.
Quoin Partners Ltd was founded last month by Andrew Sanford. Who he? Labour MP for Corby from 2012 to 2015, and Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government from 2013 to 2015, a position that was subsequently given to … Steve Reed