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  "path": "/news/essex-news-businessman-admits-pocketing-millions-council-solar-investments",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-24T11:31:36.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Asylum seeker found guilty of Brighton beach rape is 'convicted murderer in Egypt'",
    "Benefits cheat raked in thousands of pounds in housing credit while owning a second home in France",
    "Trans prisoner charged with sexual assault on fellow inmate at 'mixed-gender' Scottish jail",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
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  "textContent": "\n\n\nA businessman has acknowledged he personally received a \"substantial part\" of the £130million invested by a heavily indebted Essex council for solar energy projects.\n\nThurrock Council had transferred the funds to companies controlled by Liam Kavanagh, who has now confirmed in High Court documents that much of this money ended up in his own hands.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nRecords submitted to the court reveal a spending spree on high-value assets following the transfers, with Kavanagh, acquiring a yacht valued at £14 million, and a private aircraft costing £9million.\n\nHe also used the ill possessed money to purchase a Spanish villa worth £3million and an £800,000 sports car.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe admissions emerged through documents obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.\n\nThurrock Council declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2022, burdened by approximately £1.5billion in debt, and has depended on central government assistance ever since.\n\nIn his High Court defence, Kavanagh stated he had \"honestly believed\" the transferred funds were his to use freely.\n\nThis position represents a notable departure from his previous stance, when he denied that public investment money had financed his personal expenditure.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe legal battle centres on three separate payments totalling £130million, which followed an initial £268million transaction to acquire solar installations known as the Miramar portfolio.\n\nThe council maintains these additional sums were subject to identical conditions as the original agreement, intended exclusively for solar development.\n\nKavanagh disputes this interpretation, claiming conversations with the then finance director in 2018 led him to understand the payments differently.\n\nHe also contends that certain transfers occurred without formal documentation setting out their terms.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Asylum seeker found guilty of Brighton beach rape is 'convicted murderer in Egypt'\n  * Benefits cheat raked in thousands of pounds in housing credit while owning a second home in France\n  * Trans prisoner charged with sexual assault on fellow inmate at 'mixed-gender' Scottish jail\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe investment approach originated under the then-Conservative council as a response to reduced funding during the austerity era.\n\nThurrock's strategy involved borrowing at low rates from the Treasury, and channelling funds into renewable energy assets expected to deliver superior returns.\n\nAt the scheme's height, the authority had committed roughly £655million to ventures connected to Kavanagh, encompassing more than 50 solar installations.\n\nEarlier civil proceedings disclosed that numerous solar farms tied to these bonds suffered from significant problems, described in court papers as \"blighted by defects\" and \"flawed assets\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nKavanagh was reportedly aware of these issues when the transactions took place.\n\nMeanwhile, he had already profited handsomely from his dealings with Thurrock before the disputed £130million payments.\n\nThe Times reported in 2020 that he received approximately £5million in commission linked to one of the solar transactions.\n\nSean Clark, the finance director who oversaw these investments, was subsequently investigated by the Financial Reporting Council, which concluded he had fallen \"significantly short of the required standards in a number of respects\", and banned him from ACCA membership for five years.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe collapse has left lasting financial damage despite the subsequent sale of solar assets, which recovered only a portion of the outstanding debt.\n\nMinisters have confirmed that additional public funding will be necessary to restore the council's finances, with further support anticipated in coming years.\n\nSteve Reed, the local government minister, informed parliament this year that government intervention was essential to shield taxpayers from mounting costs associated with the authority's borrowing.\n\nAdditional fears come with the looming local government reorganisation, where neighbouring Essex councils that merge with Thurrock under the pending five unitary authority system would take on the debt amid the merge.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Businessman admits pocketing MILLIONS from council meant for solar investments"
}