NEXT MEETING OF Oakham Town Council
The next meeting of the Town Council is scheduled for Wednesday 9th November 2011. Please note that the meeting will start at 8.00pm in the Victoria Hall. Please click here for a copy of the agenda.
There is a meeting with The Residents and Tennis Club this starts at 7.00pm
This is to give both parties the opportunity to give a presentation to the council
regarding proposed floodlighting of the the tennis club.
This presentation is open to the public although not shown on the councils website.
There is one very important item on the agenda. This relates to awarding money to the Oakham Town Partnership.
This is not the first time Councillors have failed to declare interests when awarding money to the partnership. I have raised this issue many times in the past the Clerk has advised members they did not need to declare. But then that is to be expected when you pay so much for unqualified advice, former Mayor Cllr Sharon Spencer said "he constantly gave me the wrong advice"
For many years Cllr Maureen Dodds Chairman of Oakham in Bloom and Oakham Carnival had also failed to declare an interest when money was awarded.
NALC Solicitor has told Oakham Town Council they must attach conditions to all future grant.
The tax payers money can no longer be given away by simply saying "they must be trusted" (Cllr Charles Haworth Deputy Mayor) or "Its tradition" Cllr Maureen Dodds.
We will be asked to consider at the same meeting how we award grants in the future, it is possible the council may set a small sum aside for small local groups, so they are not seen just supporting their close friends at Oakham in Bloom or The Oakham Festival. But don't get excited these small grants are expected to below £300 while the councils friends will still get thousands.
Currently the council will not consider applications from any group accept Oakham in Bloom, CAB and The Oakham Festival.
(I believe Cllr Alf Dewis also failed to declare a interest when the CAB was awarded £5,000 last year) I have since checked with the Clerk he did declare on that time most likely because Cllr Spencer told him he should.
So after a long battle it looks like there may be a positive change.
I voted against the awarding of funds because no condition were attached and the Town Partnership did not say how they would spend the money. I will vote against again if an award is proposed. Because the Town Clerk who is a member of the Town Partnership said "they already have a large sum of the councils money stashed in their bank account unspent."
To agree to suspend Standing Order 11(a) in order that Item 12 on the Agenda can be
considered
12. CHRISTMAS 2011
To decide whether to make any financial contribution to the Christmas Late Night
shopping event due to be held on Monday December 12th
(Appendix C)
Item 11 - Suspension of Standing Order 11(a)
This item is included to allow the Council to revisit the decision made at the meeting of October
12th 2011 relating to the allocation of £800 towards the Christmas Late Night Shopping event.
The reason for this is that although the decision did not explicitly state what the funding should
be used for, concern was expressed after the meeting the meeting by Cllr Alf Dewis that both
he and Cllr John Nowell, who are Town Council representatives on the Oakham Town Partnership,
should have declared a Personal and Prejudicial interest in the item.
(This matter was raised by me twice during the meeting and Cllr Alf Dewis in normal Pig Headed
fashion disagreed, his view was supported by the Deputy Mayor, Chairman Cllr Charles Haworth
No surprise there!
After the meeting and during, I said I would raise a standards complaint. Financial
standards are very serious and if the government changes the rules failing to declare on matters
like this will become a criminal offence. Cllr Dewis went away to discuss this complaint with the
monitoring officer at Rutland County Council a privilege his relationship with that council grants him.
What concerns me is the total unfair way in which RCC handles Standards complaints, If a complaint is
made against me they refuse to discuss it.
Cllr Adam Lowes young daughter attended this meeting afterwards she questioned the behaviour and conduct of the Deputy Mayor Councillor Charles Haworth at this meeting, She question why? was he always trying to wind me up. I could give an answer to that but I wont lower myself to his level and therefore incur the tax payer the cost of another standards complaint from him, he is angry a the moment because all his previous complaints were thrown out, in his statement to Standards he said I should be removed from the Council. He shouts foul abuse at me in public, Its clear to me he is unfit to be our Deputy Mayor, The current Mayor Councillor Joyce Lucas has said she feels he is unfit to become Mayor next year as if being deputy one year give you the right to be Mayor the following year.)
The concern was taken was taken up by Cllr Dewis with the Monitoring Officer who confirmed that
because the Christmas Late Night Shopping event is being organised by the Oakham Town Partnership
then those members of the Council who are the Council's representatives on the Partnership should, in
fact, have declared a Personal and Prejudicial interest in the item.. This is because the decision affects the
financial well being of the organisation to which they have been appointed.
In addition to this advice the Monitoring Officer who confirmed that has also stated the Council should consider revisiting the original decision and that those members present who are Town Council representatives
to Oakham Town Partnership should declare a Personal and Prejudicial interest. They are allowed to speak on the item but should leave the room prior to any discussions and vote.
(I ask why when I made Standards Complaints in the past about this same failure to declare Rutland County Council Standard ignored my complaints?
Maybe it has something to do with the fact the legal department at Peterborough City Council now has control of Geoff Pook's old job now?
Rutland County Council have entertained many unfounded complaints about me, the sole objection of the complaints has to reach the goal of removing me from the Council, some complaints were even on the Clerks desk before I became a Councillor I guess the member of staff from Melton Borough Council is annoyed they were from out by the tribunal)
