Oakham Town Council Grapples with Absences, Administration, and Accountability at Extraordinary Meeting
Oakham Town Council convened an extraordinary meeting on Friday 20th June 2025, facing a raft of challenges including significant absences, administrative missteps, and serious questions regarding financial oversight. The meeting saw deputations from local retailers and candid discussions among the four councillors present.
Apologies for absence were received from a number of members, primarily due to illness, leaving a slim quorum to conduct the council's business.
Retailers Seek Continued Collaboration
The meeting began with deputations from local business owners, Connie Taylor, "The Pottery Lady" from Mill Street, and Bianca, co-owner of Ovation Wines and Spirits on Gaol Street. Both spoke to the council about a recent retailers' meeting held at Ovation, which had been reported in the local press by Sarah Ward, Local Democracy Reporter. The retailers emphasised their desire to continue working collaboratively with Oakham Town Council, a group that typically includes council members in its regular gatherings.
Minutes Rejected, Reports Absent, and a Helping Hand
A significant hurdle emerged early in the meeting when the minutes from the Town Council's annual meeting were rejected due to numerous administrative errors. Adding to the procedural challenges, there were no reports from either the Chairman or the Clerk. In the absence of the Deputy Clerk, the council extended its gratitude to Mel, the Victoria Hall Manager, who stepped in to accurately record the minutes of the extraordinary meeting.
The councillors present were Cllrs Chris Nix (Chairman), Christopher Clark, Sally-Anne Wadsworth, and Martin Brookes.
Financial Scrutiny and Clerk's Welfare
The financial health of the council was a key point of discussion. The present councillors considered and raised several issues within the council's finances. A pressing concern was the health of the absent Clerk; the council agreed to appoint a locum Clerk and for the Chairman to make a welfare call. It was revealed during the meeting that the Clerk is in communication with the Deputy Clerk via phone.
Unilateral Action and Accountability Concerns
A serious issue of governance arose when councillors approved the retrospective appointment of the internal auditor. Cllr Brookes drew attention to an appointment letter included in the agenda pack, which had been signed by an absent council member. This absent member had, according to the letter, wrongly claimed to have been instructed by the full council to appoint and invite an auditor to conduct the internal audit.
While Cllr Brookes refrained from naming the specific councillor, he suggested that the individual might have acted under the instruction of another absent council member. He starkly reminds the council that if a councillor makes unilateral decisions that incur financial expense to the council, that individual councillor is liable to reimburse the council. This, he noted, has only occurred once before in the history of Oakham Town Council.
Improved Audit Follow-Up Pledged
Despite the challenges, the present members carefully considered the Annual Governance and Accountability Return for 2024/2025 and answered questions honestly. Encouragingly, the council agreed that this year it will follow up on all issues highlighted as unsatisfactory by the internal auditor in his report. This commitment marks a notable improvement compared to all audit reports received since 2021.
The signing of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) was not completed so the Chairman could verify that the financial figures on the form matched the council's March statements. These statements had not been included in the AGAR pack.
The council agreed that at its next meeting, all bank signatories would be updated and formally approved, as this had not been completed at the annual meeting.
The extraordinary meeting underscored the current operational and governance challenges facing Oakham Town Council. With a commitment to addressing administrative shortcomings and an intensified focus on accountability, the council appears to be taking steps towards a more robust future.
Editor's Note: A Reporter's Perspective on Council Coverage
During the recent council meeting, Cllr Christopher Clark raised concerns about an article I wrote as a community reporter. He expressed his dislike of "many negative articles" about the council, specifically referencing a recent piece detailing a disagreement between two council members at an event in Cutts Close. Cllr Clark believes that councillors and community reporters alike should only publish positive articles about the council.
Moving forward, I hope that will be the case. It was personally disappointing to write and publish a negative article about local governance. However, I will not be influenced by some Oakham Town Councillors' desire for censorship.
This isn't the first time I've experienced unwanted interventions from Oakham Town Council members. I recently received an email from former Chairman Cllr Paul Ainsley, who communicated in a passive-aggressive style. He stated that he had revisited eight articles I had published about Oakham Town Council and only one did not meet his approval. He had also previously requested that I refrain from "airing the council's dirty laundry in public." I assume some forget that Oakham Town Council is a public body, not a private members' club.
