Oakham Town Council Accounts Mayor Adam Lowe and Freedom Entry
Dear Adam
It is a shame the first Freedom of entry to be bestowed on Kendrew Barracks will be
given by Uppingham this morning.
Many times I suggested we should have waited until the barracks had settled into the
community.
Instead Alf Dewis spent a fortune giving the freedom to a regiment from St George's
Barracks a strange choice when you consider personnel from the barracks were
banned from Oakham's night life and of course on the day the Freedom was granted
the MOD announced the regiment was to be moved away.
Then there was you effort last year, a regiment with very little connection to
Rutland, as stated in the press poorly attended by the public. Then there is the
financial implications. Like the budget agreed by council totally ignored by you
and those organising the event. The overspend will be the subject of one of many
payments which will be objected to at this years external audit.
The overspend breached laws, procedures, standing orders and regulations of the
council.
You will of course blame the Clerk suggesting he has delegated powers. I disagree
when you just pick one of the regulations breach all agreed contracts which are
likely to exceed 5% of the agreed contract value must be returned to full council
for approval.
From
Martin Brookes (Cllr)
I have been asking our Mayor the following questions regarding other unlawful
financial conduct and he refuses to answer which does lead me to think he did.
Did you give the clerk authority to spend £18,000+ without following laws and
the councils regulatiions and code of conduct?
Did you instruct the clerk to ignore me again when I pointed out to him the
law requires all payment of £5000 and over to be brought to full council
for approval?
For some reason our Mayor Adam Lowe has banned me from using the
word unlawful.
The payments made by the Clerk will also be subject to objection at
the external audit. These are the most serious transactions. Because
they were paid after I found there was no contract or approval from
full council and when the Clerk wrote to members seeking consent to
pay I very clearly explained to him why he should bring the payments
to full council to comply with laws and regulations of the council and
I was ignored.
Adam
you keep mentioning the Nolan Principles but I get a feeling you don't think they apply to
you.
Selflessness
Integrity
Objectivity
Accountability
Openness
Honesty
Leadership
You refuse to answer my simple question, I can assume you did tell the Clerk to ignore me
and this resulted in him breaking the law.
You and others have created a serious mess for the council regarding the clerk.
You should resign.
From
Martin
Adam has told me he won't resign even though over the years his conduct towards me
has been disgusting. I wonder if he will stay even when Grant Thornton state the unlawful
conduct later this year in the external audit report for 2015 - 2016 accounts.
Both the former Mayor Alf Dewis and our current Mayor Adam Lowe described previous
unlawful payments and conduct as minor mistakes.
What surprises me about this whole matter is it appears the whole council support
this.
Cllr Michael Haley our deputy Mayor is annoyed by my "moronic question" and his
suggestion appear to me, he just want's us to sweep these issues under the carpet and
just move on.
We can not just move on if we don't acknowledge this continually law breaking. and if I ignored it as some at the council would prefer, I would not be doing the job a councillor should be doing.
Dear Adam
It is a shame the first Freedom of entry to be bestowed on Kendrew Barracks will be
given by Uppingham this morning.
Many times I suggested we should have waited until the barracks had settled into the
community.
Instead Alf Dewis spent a fortune giving the freedom to a regiment from St George's
Barracks a strange choice when you consider personnel from the barracks were
banned from Oakham's night life and of course on the day the Freedom was granted
the MOD announced the regiment was to be moved away.
Then there was you effort last year, a regiment with very little connection to
Rutland, as stated in the press poorly attended by the public. Then there is the
financial implications. Like the budget agreed by council totally ignored by you
and those organising the event. The overspend will be the subject of one of many
payments which will be objected to at this years external audit.
The overspend breached laws, procedures, standing orders and regulations of the
council.
You will of course blame the Clerk suggesting he has delegated powers. I disagree
when you just pick one of the regulations breach all agreed contracts which are
likely to exceed 5% of the agreed contract value must be returned to full council
for approval.
From
Martin Brookes (Cllr)
I have been asking our Mayor the following questions regarding other unlawful
financial conduct and he refuses to answer which does lead me to think he did.
Did you give the clerk authority to spend £18,000+ without following laws and
the councils regulatiions and code of conduct?
Did you instruct the clerk to ignore me again when I pointed out to him the
law requires all payment of £5000 and over to be brought to full council
for approval?
For some reason our Mayor Adam Lowe has banned me from using the
word unlawful.
The payments made by the Clerk will also be subject to objection at
the external audit. These are the most serious transactions. Because
they were paid after I found there was no contract or approval from
full council and when the Clerk wrote to members seeking consent to
pay I very clearly explained to him why he should bring the payments
to full council to comply with laws and regulations of the council and
I was ignored.
Adam
you keep mentioning the Nolan Principles but I get a feeling you don't think they apply to
you.
Selflessness
Integrity
Objectivity
Accountability
Openness
Honesty
Leadership
You refuse to answer my simple question, I can assume you did tell the Clerk to ignore me
and this resulted in him breaking the law.
You and others have created a serious mess for the council regarding the clerk.
You should resign.
From
Martin
Adam has told me he won't resign even though over the years his conduct towards me
has been disgusting. I wonder if he will stay even when Grant Thornton state the unlawful
conduct later this year in the external audit report for 2015 - 2016 accounts.
Both the former Mayor Alf Dewis and our current Mayor Adam Lowe described previous
unlawful payments and conduct as minor mistakes.
What surprises me about this whole matter is it appears the whole council support
this.
Cllr Michael Haley our deputy Mayor is annoyed by my "moronic question" and his
suggestion appear to me, he just want's us to sweep these issues under the carpet and
just move on.
We can not just move on if we don't acknowledge this continually law breaking. and if I ignored it as some at the council would prefer, I would not be doing the job a councillor should be doing.
