Oakham Town Council Spending and General Administration Keep On Rising
If you live in Rutland you can open the booklet provided with your council tax bill from Rutland County Council to page 42 to see details relating to Oakham Town Council nnd its precept for 2012/13
Where a parish council budget exceeds £140,000 Rutland Council is required to provide a breakdown of the parish's expenditure and income. For 2012/13 as most previous years this applies to Oakham Town Council.
Whilst most other council are cutting expenditure Oakham Town Council's keeps spending more and more.
A large percentage of the spending is spent on General Adminstration.
In 2010/11 the Council spent £199,390 of Oakham residents money
In 2011/12 the Council spent £214,590 of Oakham residents money
in 2012/13 the Council plans to spend £269,720 of Oakham residents money, holding firm to the Clerks claim "it's the Council job to collect the taxes and spend as we please"
Oakham Town Council publishes an income it does not have
PWLB Loan £50,000
The Town Council obviously assumes it will be granted this loan, even before it has lodged its application.
We found out at the last council meeting there are now new requirements.
Before the application can be submitted the Council must consult with all Oakham's residents about the proposed project for new play equipment at Royce Recreation Ground.
It must also ask all residents there feelings about the Town Council borrowing this money.
So it surprises me they have included this figure in the publication when they have not met either of those requirements. The Clerk said "The Council always intended to consult the public, but as they have not yet done so the project is now two months behind" At the last meeting he suggested this matter was not rushed and put on hold till later in the year. Cllrs not wanting to be seen to fail decided to rush ahead and ignore his advice. i think that is typical of this Council.
In the past I criticised the Councils ability to set a budget and this is justified as it is shown there is a £21,251 underspend 2010/11 and this was placed in Council reserves to date it is never clear how much money The Town Council has stashed away. It is not really clear if the publish figure is correct because when I was a Councillor I was told varying amounts.
Although the Town Council has not raised the precept for 2012/13 I can not see this continuing If the present un-elected* Cllrs continue with their policy to collect and spend. They might find it easier to raise the precept rather than comply with rules of borrowing.
* The resident of Oakham only have themselves to blame, we have a self serving council that relies on public apathy and no one stands against them at elections and then they co-opt those they know and trust to sit along side them. Is that democracy?
Oakham Town Council need to take a look at what Uppingham did, of course they won't because
they want to hang onto their egotistic, self serving, power, something a real democratic process would likely to relieve them off.
