Many months later and costly additional expenditure due to errors and using the
words of Cllr Elliott "Incompetence and sloppy work" Oakham Town Council
has finally produce an unaudited statement of accounts for 2014 - 2015
This statement has been changed a few times since the first was approved
by full council.
I assume the accounts have now been sent to the external auditors Grant
Thornton?
Wed, 30 Sep 2015 11:00am
Publication of Accounting Statements 2014 - 2015
Under Regulation 13 (4) of the Accounts and Audit (England) Regulations 2011, Oakham Town Council is required to publish its Accounting Statements for 2014 - 2015 by 30th September
These are Sections 1-3 of the Council's Annual Return which has been submitted to its External Auditors.
These can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on the link below.
These can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on the link below.
Copies of the Accounting Statements are available for Inspection between the hours of 10.00am and 2.00pm from Monday to Thursday at the Town Council offices. More »
Grant Thorton
Oakham Town Council Account 2014 -2015
Dear Mr Small,
Re Payment, Contract and Accounts General
I would like to dispute another payment made by Oakham Town Council
to Plantscape ltd in 2014.
For services provided in 2014 Oakham Town Council failed to tender or enter into a contract with
Plantscape Ltd.
For services provided in 2015 Oakham Town Council failed to tender or enter into a contract with
Plant Scape Ltd. This payment if approved on the 14th October will be disputed at the
submission of the 2015 - 2016 accounts.
For the last two years Plantscape ltd have provided the council
with a service, there is no contract between them Oakham Town
council. Members of the council appeared to not be aware of this.
During a conversation with the Clerk he said he could not explain how this
happened.
I first found about this after the Clerk contacted all members via email to let us know he would
be paying this years large bill.
This concerned me because I always thought it was a legal requirement for
full council to approve large payments.
The Clerk told me the council financial regulations were changed
giving him delegated powers to ignore this requirement when required?
It very much concerns me that the council have given the clerk this
overriding power. To me it shows that some Councillors in recent years were not really interested
in their responsibilities to protect public money. The way in which regulations
and delegated powers have been dished out by this small parish council makes
me and others question the need for any Councillors.
After the Clerk contacted me I did some research into past minutes and found a contract was awarded
to Plantscape Ltd, three years ago for one year only.
After finding there is no contract or any approval from full council I spoke to the Clerk
again who told me the payment due will be put before full council on the 14th October 2015.
I can not see how Councillors can lawfully approve a payment that has not
contract or purchase order attached.
The payment made to Plantscape Ltd, in 2014 was approved by full council
This was done with no basic checks, no tendering, no contract, no purchase order.
As the same applies for the 2015 invoice I can not see how members
can lawfully approve payment of the invoice.
Since the initial contract for one year was agreed in 2012 for services
carried out in 2013 the cost to the council has risen by thousands of
pounds this I believe is an unacceptable position for the council to
find itself in.
Plantscape Ltd were awarded a three year contract to provide the hanging
baskets this should not be confused with the watering contract which
was dealt with as a separate one year purchase.
When the contracts were initially discussed the Clerk excused himself
from the meeting where members discussed the tenders because
according to the minutes he knew the a director of one of the firms
tendering the firm is not named in the minutes.
I believe the external auditor needs to make recommendations about
the way in which tenders and contracts are handled by Oakham Town Council.
The finance working group is currently suggesting all tenders should
be opened by councillors and not the clerk.
I think the most shocking contract handling was for the toilet cleaning
when the Clerk received all tenders he approached the council and
asked for a delay after the current contractor had said they had
made a mistake with their tender and wanted to change it. This
was approved and they then went on to renew their contract.
No one has ever been told what the original mistake was or seen
the original tender documents all we know is the contractor was the
cheapest. This raises a few questions was he told the what other
companies had tendered?
I could go back further to the gym expenditure which your company
said they would look into and did n't but I won't because I understand
you are only dealing with the 2014 -2015 accounts.
As you are aware they were submitted very late and after a number
of mistakes were found. The council Chairman Alf Dewis initially
attempted to obstruct me from pointing out these mistakes.
The Council later appointed Streets accountants to conduct a
costly pointless review of the 2014 -2015 accounts.
I asked for the accounts to be re audited first eternally and then
internally at a meeting this was turned down. Despite this
it has been leaked, that the Mayor Councillor Alf Dewis
has authorised a investigation into the accounting mistakes
without the authority or the knowledge of the full council.
His dishonest responses and now this shows the council is
not open and transparent. I am asking formal councillors
questions about the cost and nature of this investigation
at the next full council meeting.
It is still my view that the 2014 -2015 accounts are fully audited
after all the former internal auditor had signed of the accounts
with many mistakes which I and others unqualified spotted.
Despite the word audit often being banded around Streets have
made it very clear they did not carry out an audit.
Oakham Town Council have approved audited accounts.
The Clerk has told us your firm finds this acceptable.
If this is the case then perhaps we should save the taxpayers
money by not paying for an internal audit each year before
aproving the accounts?
At a meeting a member of the Council asked the Clerk what were the
consequences for submitting the accounts late in a way which came
across as if it was unimportant.
We were told none apart from your firm issuing an qualified audit (which is
not good and in my view an unacceptable position for the council
to achieve.)
I trust your qualified audit will contain a detailed report of your
findings because I am fed up being told the failings are just minor
even a past Mayor made this suggestion at a recent meeting.
When I tried to raise issues about the accounts the Mayor Cllr
Alf Dewis refused to let me speak and tried to kick me out of the
meeting. His conduct and actions in my opinion only lead me to
believe he has a lot to hide. As a chairman he is appalling he
does not communicate with me outside of meetings which makes
council work difficult.
Some Local conservatives descibe him as an idiot, I disagree he is a
throughly vile bully, who thinks he has the power to run
Oakham Town Council as he thinks fit at whatever cost to the
taxpayers.
From
Martin Brookes
