Oakham Town Council F.O.I request £18,000 one off Salary Payments, Minutes and Bank Statements

Oakham Town Council F.O.I request £18,000 one off Salary Payments, Minutes and Bank Statements

It is very disappointing that as a Town Councillor I now have to resort to using freedom of
information requests. to obtain information and documents from Oakham Town Council
all of which a Councillors and accept in the case of exempt minutes electors (residents of the parish)
are entitled by law to see.

Dear Oakham Town Council

F.O.I Request 10th November 2016

The law permit Cllrs and Electors to inspect all The Town Councils financial records
this includes bank statement receipts etc.
It is normal for the council to provide copies of bank statements along with
financial reports at the monthly meeting. at the meeting held on Wednesday
14th September all the councils bank statements were withheld from members.
The Council incorrectly quoted data protection for its reason for not providing
the bank statements for August 2016.
At the meeting the council did provide a schedule of payments lists this list
showed two large payments had been made the payee's name was missing.

Voucher Number 134 Salaries £10,000
Voucher Number 135 Salaries £8,000

At the same meeting the council refused to name the recipient of these
tax fee salary payments.Once again wrongly quoting the data protection
act.

It is once again very disappointing that as a Town Councillor I have
to resort to using a freedom of information request.

 I make the following requests:

(1) Please can Oakham Town Council supply me with full copies of
its bank statement for August 2016 which detail the following
electronic online payments made on 25th and 30th August 2016
total sum paid £18,000

(2) Please can Oakham Town Council provide the name of the recipient of
electronic online payments made on 25th and 30th August 2016
total sum paid £18,000 and the reason for these additional salary
payments.

(3) Please could the Town Council explain why tax and national insurance
was not deducted from the salary payments and paid to HMRC as required?

(4) The council minutes state a minute relating possibly to these payments
is held by the council and is only available to Councillors, As I was unlawfully
excluded from the meeting which moved into a locked office I made a request
to inspect the minutes, my requests to see this confidential minute have been refused.
All parish councils are required to provide a audit trail which includes minutes showing the council resolution agreeing expenditure. The council is also required by law to seek approval at full council
for all payments it intends to make when the sum is payable is over £5000 before they are made.
both these payments are over £5,000 and as far as I can see were not brought before
full council for approval.

Please can Oakham Town Council provide copies of all minutes which cover the
decisions made and the authority to make these payments.

(5) Please can Oakham Town Council provide the names of the two Councillors
who signed the authority for the council to make electronic online payments made on 25th and 30th August 2016 total sum paid £18,000

I look forward to your prompt response

Yours Faithfully

Cllr Martin Brookes
Oakham South East Ward
13 Willow Crescent
Oakham
Rutland
LE15 6EQ

This request was made via:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ps18000_one_off_salary_payments#outgoing-595916