The Old Guard, Cllrs Stubbs, Lowe and Lucas don't like me to speak at council meetings
although as Cllrs we are not permitted to conduct council business by email, they do
and sit like muted dummies making odd noises and pulling faces when I speak so for this
meeting I thought I would use emails to try and get across my point and make them public.
Dear All
Re Agenda Item 17 next weeks meeting
I have read the report from the community centre working there are a few issues to consider.
Reading the letter from Ark Nursery who want to lease the property long term, I am concerned
they are asking for a peppercorn rent for the first year.
The Council has a legal obligation to seek the maximum return from all public assets it owns.
We can not use tax payers money to support charity or any business.
I read the sum of £10,000 was used to work out a rental figure, this amount is incorrect
the previous tenant was meant to pay around £7,500 a year.
Despite the valuation of the property being set by Stephen Reid as £12,000 a year when
the property was in a poor condition.
The property needs to be professionally valued again and the council is legally obliged to
achieve that rent. Even though the tax payers are currently paying the lost rent on a empty
building.
This council rather oddly officially named this property Oakham Community Centre last year?
So far I have seen nothing from the working group that would indicate the use as of the
property as community centre?
Before the council considers any application from any commercial organisation the working
group needs to revisit its instructions and provide the council with both options.
If we agree to use A Wainwright whoever they are? to provide a commercial costing
I would expect them to also be instructed to do the same for a community rate, based on
the fact the community is already paying the letting fee via their council tax bill.
A member of the working group appears to assume that there is no interest in community
use. That could be possibly to the disastrous way the old working group handled this
and the fact the property has remained empty for nearly two years with no invitation being
made to the community.
Could the group please also explain this apparent obsession to spend thousands of pounds
with a security company to be a key holder, what has happened to the key box in the
office. It is common knowledge the staff and chairman of the council hold keys for the
office, why can't they do the same for the small hall?
We are not a County Council we are a parish council please can you provide examples
of other parish council who spend around £5000 a year for a keyholder. If councillors
and staff now think they are far to important to carry out such a task then perhaps
we should seek some voluntary help from the community. Sorry I forgot Cllr Stubbs
has an adversion to any help coming from the community.
If we are unfortunate enough to have either Joyce or Adam appointed as a chair they
both almost live on the door step of the 'community centre'
If the council has given up on the idea of the public using the building in Princess Avenue
I trust at the time of setting the 2017 - 2018 budget the lost rent charged will be removed
from the budget. I personally find it disgusting it taking so long to put this building to good
use and the tax payer is suffering because what only appears to be incompetence of
the previous working group.
From
Martin
