Thursday, December 29, 2016

Uppingham Success 2016 Partnership Oakham's Failing

Uppingham Success 2016 Partnership Oakham's Failing

It was good to hear the Mayor of Uppingham on Rutland Radio giving his reason for Uppingham's
success. That success is due to the Town Council working in partnership with various bodies. Nothing is ever perfect but Uppingham do seem to have cracked it.

Here in Oakham we have a Town Council which is not working. the words of the Monitoring Officer.

Earlier in the year our Mayor Adam Lowe went on the radio and admitted he was part of that.
Personally I think he is one of the major obstructions preventing change.

Only the other week I received a report from the monitoring officer at Rutland County Council, the report gave her findings, It was also the first time I had seen the complaint made by our Mayor Adam Lowe. Thank goodness Rutland County Council don't run the justice system. The first you would know you had been tried and convicted would be when you receive a letter from the monitoring officer.

Her report seems to conclude it is disrespectful for me to open a notice board and photograph a audit
report which the council had refused to give me. I am not bothered about that because that finding
is nonsense.

What concerns me is the statement of complaint made my the Mayor Cllr Adam Lowe. It is dishonest.

The Mayor Adam Lowe lies by stating I was carrying a knife and damaged the notice board.

I am also very concerned about his conduct after I politely challenged him about his lies.
He said me a text saying I was mental and needed medical help before I harmed someone.
The year appears to have ended as it started.

The deputy Mayor is no better sending emails claiming he was assisting a Councillor on the verge
of a mental break down.
Another telling me to go and do something useful and jump under a bus when I ask him a simple
question.
I admire both men's medical qualifications and their support for Exit.

Going back to the partnership failings, Oakham Town Council does not work in partnership
with any organisation, it also fails to engage the community it claims to represent.

It will harp on about what it does for the community at a high cost. What it does for the
community is very limited.

It tenders when it can be bothered for a contractor to cut the grass and pick litter in three small
parks. I say bothered because many months ago the contract expired and the office have not started
the tendering process after being being asked by the full council to do so months ago.

The council spends thousands on hanging baskets decides without consultation it would be nice
to have larger ones. When the retailers said they did not want large baskets the council still paid for them. This resulted with one basket hanging at the dry cleaners in Market Street and none in the market place. They could have asked the supplier to provide smaller baskets,

The overpriced Christmas Tree and £17,000 spent on putting up and taking down less Christmas
Lights each year.

A few of the same band concerts in the park each year.

That is all Oakham Town Council do.
That is possible why some have so much time to spend attacking those who ask for it
to do those few things correctly or to disband.


A organisation that should be working in partnership with the council is the
The Town partnership which is like an old gentleman's club. Not wanting change and certainly
not working in partnership with the town council and if traders are speaking truthfully they are only there for a very limited number of traders.

There is no longer any representatives from The County Council on the partnership.

The Partnership changed its constitution so the Town Council can no longer appoint members
and told the town council they only wanted Stan Stubbs as a member, he is the old man who
calls me a bastard at council meetings and is often heard calling to Jesus Christ and losing
the will to live at meetings. I think he would prefer it if the council was stuck further back in time pre 1970's when council meetings were not public and everyone agreed with him.

In 2016 the Town Partnership appointed a town centre manager. Many people don't know who that person is or their role.

She is a nice lady who runs her own events company based in Leicester and was paid to
organise the 2015 Christmas Shopping event. Now she is paid a bit more to do the same.
During the time she has been employed by the town partnership she has not been formally
introduced to the Town Council.

The word Partnership seems to have another meaning hear in Oakham.

I am constantly approached by people who complain about Oakham Town Council
I point out there are vacancies and they often respond with don you think I am nuts.
If people really want change in 2017 they cant just sit back an moan.

The town council is looking to co-opt three new Cllrs in the new year because no one
called elections.

I shall battle on in 2017, I am sure people will continue to moan about the Town Council
in 2017 and do little to help it change.

I guess those who don't want their little club paid for by the tax payers to change will carry
on saying I am mental or worse.

I hope 2017 will bring about change. I would like to see Oakham Town Council expand its
role within our community and that is why I put forward my suggestion for the town council
to fund a youth worker only to be publicly attacked by The Mayor Adam Lowe.

We have over £100,000 unexplained  reserves which are not earmarked so I don't think £12,000
is going to bankrupt the council as he said. It's also £5,000 less than the money we pay to put
up and take down the dreadful Christmas Lights.