Oakham Skatepark, Oakham Town Council, Freedom of Information Act 2000
Work on Oakham Skate Park has a new date for completion, three weeks from 20th February 2012
This means, the emergency repairs the Clerk authorised. (so this matter did not have to come before
the full council) will be completed nearly six months after the original work order was issued.
The Town Clerk is permitted to authorise works up to £1000, any amount above this requires
authorisation from the full council.
Early last year the Council was presented with a quote for non urgent work on the skatepark which would clean out the entire budget and more.
The full Council were unhappy with the quote. Cllr Adam Lowe suggested other companies should be
contacted, I suggested the Clerk might like to contact other councils. The full council turned down the
works.
Within days the Clerk had authorised emergency repairs to the skatepark estimating the costs.
Whilst he was absent some work was completed,
A large amount of screws were left in a dangerous state, this was rectified.
The Contractor then produced a inflated bill for materials and this was promptly paid.
The Clerk returned and he was pleased to say he was away when the payment was authorised by others and not him.
The cheque was signed by Cllrs Mrs Maureen Dodds and Mr Adam Lowe.
This is a bit like a rogue trader waiting for you to go out and getting to of your elderly grandparents to
pay up!
Cllr Adam Lowe should have known better, he sells timber and screws every day of the week. He has questioned costs before. Maybe my Councillor has caved into those phone calls, he told me he received, "suggesting he does not question payments and contracts at meetings"
The contractor told me, he had wanted to speak to councillors, to explain the original quote turned down by Councillors, he said the Clerk refused his request to attend the meeting.
I passed this comment onto the Clerk, he said he was unhappy with the Contractor and that was the
last we saw of the contractor.
If the work is completed? if the contractor keeps his second promised completion date, they will be paid for hours worked. I imagine this will bring the final bill close to the original sum of money requested, which councillors had originally refused. The weather excuse, is a poor one. We have had one of the driest years.
I think this is an example of how all councillors at Oakham Town Council don't really have a 100% say on how public money is spent or wasted.
I think they will be in for another shock when the bill arrives for the current 'essential works' on trees in Cutts Close.
Letter from Oakham Town Council.
Dear Mr Brookes,
RE: Freedom of information Request
In response to your request under the Freedom of information Act 2000 (detailed below) which was received in the offices of Oakham Town Council on 2nd February 2012.
"I request under freedom of information the following: Please can Oakham Town Council supply me with the names of the two Councillors who authorised the payment and what steps the council has taken to or planning to recover the money lost. The invoice states the full amount paid is for materials as I said before the contractor must have intended to use gold screws?"
(A 10' x 8' sheet of Skatelite board from the most expensive supplier will cost about £200 + delivery This is why I suggest gold screws because it appears only one or two sheet have been used, but thousands was paid)
The pr-forma payments for materials was signed by Cllrs. Mrs Maureen Dodds and Adam Lowe.
The contractor has been contacted and is well aware that some of the work remains incomplete. The only
remaining work fromn the original work order issued on the 26th September 2011 involves the removal of the flat bank on the eastern wall of the skatepark and its replacement with a curved transition that he aims to complete the work within three weeks from 20th February 2012
Yours sincerley
Richard White
Clerk to the Council
rwhite@oakhamtowncouncil.gov.uk
Previous Post:
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Oakham Skate Park? Oakham Town Council
Some months ago the town clerk authorised emergency repairs to the skate park in Cutts Close.The work started, the clerk went away and in his absence some person(s) at the Town Council authorised
a large payment to the contractor. The same contractor who was offered the choice of a cheque made out
personally to him or his company for earlier work completed, this was also a very large payment. But nothing to worry about because his partner used to work for Rutland County Council and they were having a baby, the partner also used to work with an employee of the town council.
After the second large payment was made in the absence of the clerk just for materials (gold plated screws?) the contractor packed up and went home.
I raised my concern about the payment at a council meeting, Councillors greeted my concerns with their normal contempt.
I spoke to the Clerk the next day, he said he would have questioned the invoice because it did look expensive for materials and "I am pleased, I was not working at the time the payment was made "
At next council meeting the Clerk raised the issue as if it was something minor and new. He assured Councillors the work would be completed by the contractor before Christmas. Today is New Years Eve
and the work is not completed.
Never mind! the loss does not equate to much, when you explain it using the Clerks formula. He often likes to divide any cost by the number of tax payers. Then when he talks about the cost of something only costing each taxpayer 50p or £1 I think it makes him feel better.
