Governance Failings to be highlighted on next weeks Oakham Town Council Agenda.
A number of failings by Oakham Town Council will be highlighted on next weeks
agenda. I do not have information about these failings yet. The Internal Auditors
report will be part of that.
Meeting Wed, 10 Jun 2015 7:00pm
Town Council
Victoria Hall
39 High Street
Oakham
Rutland
All this is adding to my lack of confidence in the current Chairman Cllr Alf Dewis.
and some of the old Councillors, like Cllr Joyce Lucas who are will not implement change.
Only the other week I sat in a informal meeting and was lectured to by Cllr Blanksby who
is also the vice chair of Oakham in Bloom. He appears to believe laws on governance
do not apply to Oakham Town Council, he said we do not need you to point out
the laws and anyway we are not parliament and we don't have to follow the rules
to the book. Unfortunately for him and few of his supporters they do have to comply.
My response to him, was we are a council and not Oakham in Bloom. If you don't like
the rules and regulations put in place to protect tax payers money and councillors then perhaps
you should not be a councillor. Perhaps he is best suited bossing the volunteers who
plant and weed the towns flower beds. That reminds me whilst on the subject of
Cllr Blanksby when he was co-opted last year and the council did not initially follow
the correct procedure, he failed to declare in his interests at least two directorships
he currently holds. It will be interesting to see if he remembers to comply with
the declarations of interests during his current term of office.
Going back to the subject Oakham Town Council the office tells me the council will
hold its hands up next Wednesday evening and admit its past governance non compliance
and they will learn from them. I hope they do, although my experience of Oakham Town
Council is they never learn. How many times can you go on saying we
will learn from our mistakes? someone must take responsibility for those
mistakes, especially as mistakes keep happening.
Next week the council will also attempt to rectify the position they find themselves
in regarding unauthorised payments and a contract, arranged without resolution of the
full council by Cllr Alf Dewis and signed by the former Mayor.
The auditors report says he believes those responsible were acting in the councils
best interests in mind, when they broke regulations, they may have done but the
timeline of events from November last year to the present month show this was
not a emergency and should have been brought before the full council for a resolution.
Although the past Mayor is responsible for the contract and other failings she should
not be condemned. The person who is responsible is the bully, Cllr Alf Dewis
our current Mayor who is a control freak, who gives the impression he knows
what he is doing when he does not.
He and his side kick Cllr Stan Stubbs believe this parish council is bigger than
it is and refuse to acknowledge that it is nothing within a community, accept
a group who take money from tax payers for their own egotistic purposes.
This is proved when the suggestion of a move to Princess Avenue is put forward,
both disapproved of the move which would save the tax payer of £15,000 a year
and create a community hub. They both created a fictional figure in attempt to
put of other members. They both believe the council should remain
in the center of town, without giving a good reason apart from the grandeur
and position of Victoria Hall in relation to all residents.
In the past the Clerk has said the number of visitors to the council offices
is very low, no exact figure can be given. I am sure if you did count and took
away Councillors visits from the figures it would be closer to zero each week,
rather similar to meeting attendance.
It is time Oakham Town Council opened its eyes to its position within our
community and started to do things correctly and for the sole benefit of the
entire community.
A number of failings by Oakham Town Council will be highlighted on next weeks
agenda. I do not have information about these failings yet. The Internal Auditors
report will be part of that.
Meeting Wed, 10 Jun 2015 7:00pm
Town Council
Victoria Hall
39 High Street
Oakham
Rutland
All this is adding to my lack of confidence in the current Chairman Cllr Alf Dewis.
and some of the old Councillors, like Cllr Joyce Lucas who are will not implement change.
Only the other week I sat in a informal meeting and was lectured to by Cllr Blanksby who
is also the vice chair of Oakham in Bloom. He appears to believe laws on governance
do not apply to Oakham Town Council, he said we do not need you to point out
the laws and anyway we are not parliament and we don't have to follow the rules
to the book. Unfortunately for him and few of his supporters they do have to comply.
My response to him, was we are a council and not Oakham in Bloom. If you don't like
the rules and regulations put in place to protect tax payers money and councillors then perhaps
you should not be a councillor. Perhaps he is best suited bossing the volunteers who
plant and weed the towns flower beds. That reminds me whilst on the subject of
Cllr Blanksby when he was co-opted last year and the council did not initially follow
the correct procedure, he failed to declare in his interests at least two directorships
he currently holds. It will be interesting to see if he remembers to comply with
the declarations of interests during his current term of office.
Going back to the subject Oakham Town Council the office tells me the council will
hold its hands up next Wednesday evening and admit its past governance non compliance
and they will learn from them. I hope they do, although my experience of Oakham Town
Council is they never learn. How many times can you go on saying we
will learn from our mistakes? someone must take responsibility for those
mistakes, especially as mistakes keep happening.
Next week the council will also attempt to rectify the position they find themselves
in regarding unauthorised payments and a contract, arranged without resolution of the
full council by Cllr Alf Dewis and signed by the former Mayor.
The auditors report says he believes those responsible were acting in the councils
best interests in mind, when they broke regulations, they may have done but the
timeline of events from November last year to the present month show this was
not a emergency and should have been brought before the full council for a resolution.
Although the past Mayor is responsible for the contract and other failings she should
not be condemned. The person who is responsible is the bully, Cllr Alf Dewis
our current Mayor who is a control freak, who gives the impression he knows
what he is doing when he does not.
He and his side kick Cllr Stan Stubbs believe this parish council is bigger than
it is and refuse to acknowledge that it is nothing within a community, accept
a group who take money from tax payers for their own egotistic purposes.
This is proved when the suggestion of a move to Princess Avenue is put forward,
both disapproved of the move which would save the tax payer of £15,000 a year
and create a community hub. They both created a fictional figure in attempt to
put of other members. They both believe the council should remain
in the center of town, without giving a good reason apart from the grandeur
and position of Victoria Hall in relation to all residents.
In the past the Clerk has said the number of visitors to the council offices
is very low, no exact figure can be given. I am sure if you did count and took
away Councillors visits from the figures it would be closer to zero each week,
rather similar to meeting attendance.
It is time Oakham Town Council opened its eyes to its position within our
community and started to do things correctly and for the sole benefit of the
entire community.
