Oakham and Rutland Local News

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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Chancellor may have a Christmas Gift for Oakham Tax Payers "Devastating for Town Council"

The Chancellor may have a Christmas Gift for Oakham Tax Payers "Devastating for Town Council"

Tonight Oakham Town Council differed its budget decision once more.

At long last this income led council has been hit by reality.

Once the Clerk the most highly paid in the land said "the recession does not effect us because we can just
raise what we need via the precept, but we do have to be careful about how the public perceive us"

The council had planned an increase for 2013 - 14.

They have been warned the Chancellor may be capping parish precepts in his December budget.

The Mayor and Chairman of Oakham Town Council said "if this was to happen it would be devastating 
for Oakham Town Council"

I say go for it chancellor! The Clerk once reported the town council "does not do much but what is does do it does well"

About 80% of what it spends goes on administrating that "good work" if the cut and cap is going to be drastic I am wondering how the council will be able to function, could it be the end of the old bullies club?

I hope so!

A council in huge debt, no reserves and no plan, I would say it has a limited future.

Whatever happens in December It will bring Oakham Town Council crashing down into the real world.

At the same meeting out of this world Councillor Charles Haworth made a illegal written  proposal, fortunately rejected by members. He wanted consent to spend small amount of money on single items costing  only £250 each without the need to come to the council for consent.

It amazes me a Councillor who jumps out of bed into his fast car and lives on JSA thinks £250 is a small amount of money. He went on to say "if I or the working group spend £100 today on something for the future it is difficult to explain to the full council what that expenditure is for" To me that explanation was a little difficult to understand, surely if your spending any sum of tax payers money you should be able to clearly account for it.

It appears something has gone on behind the scene and the Clerk has refused a unknown expense, much to
the annoyance of Cllr  Haworth and his group. Cllr Maureen Dodds woke up and said "maybe the Clerk was correct to refuse the purchase" Cllr Haworth gave one of his quick and usual nasty responses suggesting he and the Councillor should not argue in this room.

It of course annoys me that Councillor Dodds is critical about other peoples attitude towards spending when she  personally squandered tax payers money when the carnival committee gave up.
Cllr Haworth  is often disrespectful to her and this evening I noticed others laughing at her. The time
I think has come for some one to say nicely the time has come to retire, The clerk has to tell her when to declare, she wakes up and asks the most obvious question making herself look silly and open to ridicule by the likes of Cllr Haworth.