Science Park hoodwinks public with false employment growth claims
19 Jul 2015
As the Kent Science Park cooks up yet another growth plan, this time projecting the creation of a further 2,550 jobs over a 20 year timeframe, it would appear that they have got in a muddle over their previously claimed employment figures. The current promotional material claims “Investment has enabled a steady and continuing growth in employment numbers – up from 850 in 2008 to 1,600 in 2015.”
However park director James Speck was highly critical of the Five Parishes Opposition Group when in 2008 the group dared to question an employment figure of 1,200 published by the Kent Science Park on the basis that an independent assessment suggested that the park only employed 872 people.
Mr Speck said at the time “We strongly refute the Five Parishes Opposition Group position…Our figure of 1,200 employees, the actual figure 1,199 is based upon a survey undertaken by us on October 16 2008.”
This now leaves director James Speck in the rather unenviable position of either knowingly reducing previous figures to falsely promote massively increased growth over the period or having to admit that countless previous statements made on behalf of Kent Science Park are simply untrue.
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