Oakham Town Council Agenda and Proposals 14th September 2016
Dear Oakham Town Council,
My agenda arrived today in a torn envelope.
I have read it and attached reports.
I am very concerned that the acting Clerk appears to have no understanding of the meaning of debate.
His proposal to change our standing orders to only permit members to speak once for three minutes max and then not speak again on each agenda item, is not debate.
What if other members say something that would prompt a response?
I am wondering if our chairman, deputy and acting Clerk would not be better suited in a parish in North Korea?
Other changes to standing orders make no sense, because they are written in a way that can only be understood if a great deal
of time is spent referring to the current standing orders. As we no longer have a website I can not obtain the
standing orders. The old Clerk may have had his faults but he would have provided the amended standing order in
his report so there would be no misunderstandings.
I also remember it used to be a requirement that any changes of standing orders had to come to council twice
before they were implemented. So why the rush to make the changes with immediate effect?
I am also concerned that once again a proposal to make anyone with recording equipment
site it in the corner room. The wording of the amendment is daft, if it is a health
and safety issue for members to sit with a recording device at the table, why is it not for the same for the acting clerk?
If the council accept his proposal as written and all recording devices (audio and video) are to be sited
in the corner of the room, then it may become a little crowded as laptops, tablets and smart phones are all devices capable of recording.
When the acting Clerk has thankfully departed this council this item will of course
have to return to council to remove the word acting if the permanent Clerk wanted to record the meeting.
I hope his proposed change will fall as it did when ex Mayor Cllr Alf Dewis recently attempted to introduce the same change.
I know this proposal is designed to attempt to stop me recording and publishing
meetings. Which will never happen. I am not willing to sit in the corner and I don't see how
using my laptop and web cam is a health and safety issue for anyone who is attending a our meetings.
Moving on to the list of payments
1. please can the council explain why the chairman has been paid
his allowance in a tax free lump sum?
All councillors income is considered by HMRC as earnings.
Therefore the council should have deducted tax and NI. is his another mistake by the
Chairman similar to the one he made when we unlawfully paid Tracy Halliday?
I would like to know when the council resolved to overturn its policy to pay the allowance upon
presentation of receipts?
When Cllr Lowe was Chairman a few years ago he was very pleased that he had
not spent the entire sum and saving Oakham Tax Payers money, what has brought about this change
which sees him taking a cash lump sum?
2. Please can the council explain the two additional salary payments last month. one cheque for £10,000 and the other electronic payment of £8,000
Can the council confirm the rumour that the money was paid to the clerk in acceptance for his resignation?
If it is I strongly object to these payments, based on the comments made by the Chairman Cllr Adam Lowe that The Clerk has broken local government law and breached the terms of his contract.
I also notice that the council has paid the internal auditor, please can the council explain why the reports have not
been published or presented to council members?
Christmas Tree Please can Cllr Lowe explain why it appears he has acted in the same towards Cllrs Carr and Howard as he did to me earlier this year?
Cllr Carr reported to council at the last meeting work was still in progress.
Cllr Lowe has presented the same paper as he did when I was attempting to obtain quotes.
We are required to obtain three quotes, we all know Lite Ltd have provided us with a costly poor service in the past and yet again Cllr Lowe is proposing to table only one extremely expensive quote from Lite Ltd.
From
Martin Brookes (OSE Cllr)
