Connie Taylor Ceramics now working in Victoria Hall Oakham Rutland including a pop up shop

Connie Taylor Ceramics now working in Victoria Hall Oakham Rutland including a pop up shop 

www.facebook.com/ConnieTaylorCeramics

Cancer Research UK Market Place Oakham Rutland for far to many years this charity shop has made our market place look like a dump.

Cancer Research UK Market Place Oakham Rutland for far to many years this charity shop has made our market place look like a dump.

I often wonder why people here in Oakham are so anti charity shops, then I thought about it. Each time I walk through the market place I notice how it is blighted by Cancer Research. If it is not being used as a dump for residents rubbish, its their own weekly mountain of rubbish dumped outside the shop. I often look at what they throw out and think what a waste. Yesterday I notice a large bag full of brown paper bags still sealed in original packaging, along with many other bags containing many new items. used to run the shop, I personal nominate Cancer Research as the most disgraceful and wasteful charity shop here in Oakham. Cancer research appears to have far too much money. I and others remember when they wasted over £20,000 refurbishing this shop in 2013 and opening it for a very short period of time as a boutique style charity shop before reverting it back to a normal charity shop. £20,000, Just a little more than they pay each of their store managers. There are plenty of other business's in the Market Place that include the selling of food and drink, they don't dump in the market place.

Coming soon to Gaol Street in Oakham Town Centre this summer a new monthly Arts & Crafts market on the 1st Saturday of the month.

Coming soon to Gaol Street in Oakham Town Centre this summer a new monthly Arts & Crafts market on the 1st Saturday of the month. 

Only 15 stalls available. 

If you want to be included in this event then please contact 4Oakham.

Info@4oakham.com

www.facebook.com/4oakham

Conservative Cllr Kenneth Bool Says Rutland County Council Chief Executive Helen Briggs Signed A Memorandum of Understanding With The MOD in secret, Edward Baines Described the previous leader as arrogant

At special council meeting at Rutland County Council last night. 

Former CEO of Rutland County Council Helen Briggs 

Conservative Cllr Kenneth Bool Says Rutland County Council Chief Executive Helen Briggs Signed A Memorandum of Understanding with The MOD four years ago, which was kept secret from 24 out of 26 Councillor for an entire year.

Conservative Rutland County Councillor Kenneth Bool 

 

When the councils monitoring officer advised the meeting should should go into exempt he said.

"If we go into excluded now, we started out in secrecy and we are ending in secrecy and I have to say this makes me and the general public wonder, what else there is to hide".

 "There is a dark shadow over this project. This is a matter that affects everyone in Rutland and I can't see why residents can't hear their elected representatives discussing this." 

"We can do so in a manner that adheres to our obligations and of the none disclosure agreement, transparency is important in a democracy, so that those in power are held to account for the common good. Let us therefore be open and transparent with those who put us in office. We should remain in the public domain."

Conservative Rutland County Councillor Kenneth Bool 

The Chairman of the Council Edward Baines  said he agreed with Cllr Bools comments about the previous leader of the council and he went on to describe the previous leader as arrogant and that they behaved as if they had powers of an elected mayor rather than the leader of this elected council.  

(as Mr Bool did not speak about any former leader of the council it is not clear if Cllr Baines was referring to a former leader of the former CEO some on social media have decided he was referring to the former CEO)

Edward Baines stated all that is in the past, is he not forgetting he has been a large part of that past? I do hope the man who refuses to move into the modern world and even use basics such as email steps down at the next election.

Fifteen councillors voted to continue the meeting in private. Twelve others voted against.

Rutland County Cllrs voted against accepting the HIF grant.  13 against, 12 for and 2 abstentions

What next?

There has been some discussion on social media this morning 

Cllr Nick Begy Conservative Rutland County Councillor 

Conservative Councillor Nick Begy said, the outlook is bleak. We have lost control on the development and now greenfield sites in our villages are in danger.

Councillor Ian Razzell  Conservative Rutland County Council 

Conservative Councillor  Ian Razzell  said,  there are some who need to hang their heads in shame. Banging on about their community and failing to represent them at countless meetings. I hope they are able to explain to their community why green fields will now be torn up to build on.

Housing Infrastructure Fund St George's Barracks Rutland County Council Already Listed on Government Website as a Successful Forward Funding projects before Council decision is made

Housing Infrastructure Fund St George's Barracks Rutland County Council Already Listed on Government Website as a  Successful Forward Funding projects  before Council decision is made this evening?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-infrastructure-fund

Successful Forward Funding projects

Local authority Project HIF funding (£million)

Buckinghamshire Aylesbury Garden Town Growth Enabling Infrastructure Programme £172.3m

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Northern Fringe East £227m

Central Bedfordshire Transformational Growth in Biggleswade £69.6m

Cheshire East North Cheshire Garden Village £21.7m

Cornwall Truro Growth Area - Northern Access Road £47.5m

Cornwall Hayle Junctions Infrastructure Project £12.9m

Cumbria Carlisle Southern Link Road £134m

Devon South West Exeter £55.1m

Essex Beaulieu Station and North East Bypass £218m

Essex Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community £99.9m

GLA Docklands Light Railway - growth capacity £290.7m

GLA Meridian Water Infrastructure £170m

GLA East London line - growth capacity £80.8m

Gloucestershire M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme £219.8m

Greater Manchester Combined Authority Manchester Northern Gateway Urban Growth Programme £51.6m

Kent Swale Transport Infrastructure £38.1m

Lancashire South Lancaster Growth Catalyst £140m

Leicestershire Melton Mowbray Southern Distributor Road £14.7m

Medway New Routes to Good Growth £170m

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes East Sustainable Urban Extension £94.6m

North East Combined Authority South Sunderland Growth Area Cluster £25.4m

North Somerset West of England: Enabling Infrastructure for M5-A38 Strategic Development Locations £97m

Oxfordshire Access to Didcot Garden Town £218m

Oxfordshire A40 Smart Corridor £102m

Rutland St George’s Barracks £29.4m

Surrey A320 North of Woking £41.8m

Surrey A320 Woking Town Centre £95m

Surrey Slyfield Area Regeneration Project £52.3m

Swindon New Eastern Villages, Southern Connector Road £18.9m

Thurrock Purfleet Centre £75.1m

Wiltshire Chippenham Urban Expansion £75.1m

Day of reflection to be held a year after UK's Covid lockdown began, what a year Empty Shelves in Tesco and some very kind people within the community and some unkind

Day of reflection to be held a year after UK's Covid lockdown began

A minute’s silence will be observed at noon on 23 March to remember the thousands who have died

The event on 23 March is designed to give people a chance to mourn. Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said: “We need to reflect on the pandemic’s deep toll, mourn those we’ve lost, and mark the service and sacrifice of staff throughout the NHS.

“It’s also a moment to acknowledge how in adversity we saw strength, as friends, neighbours and communities have come together to help each other through the nation’s worst ordeal since the second world war. While we need continuing vigilance against this virus, the remarkable NHS vaccination programme now brings hope of better times to come.”

I personally don't know anyone who has lost anyone to Covid-19, I do know people who have survived it.

The year has been dreadful it has brought out the best of most people and the worst of a few.

Here in Oakham we have this fantastic neighbours group on Facebook who have helped many people in the town and surrounding areas.

www.facebook.com/groups/OakhamNeighbours

It is one of the reasons, I find it hard to decide who should be rewarded when there are appeals to nominate people for awards. It seems unfair to reward one when so many have pulled together to support the community throughout the pandemic.

Personally it has been a very difficult year for me, Two men in this group were total arses by refusing to comply with Tesco's request to shop one person one trolley. I recently completed a Tesco survey online and they still ask if there is evidence of this being applied in the store visited. I wonder if these two arses still kick up a fuss.  They said my actions supporting a colleague at the store here in Oakham was homophobic! they claimed my social media post in the group breached Tesco rules of course they did not, but that did not stop Debbie Twaites the store unofficial social media monitor taking screen shots and presenting them to Tesco, as she has often done in the past in other colleagues cases. Tesco legal department said I had not breached any rules. Tesco does not need local people to monitor posts it does it monitors all online activity. I did lose my job after a miserable colleague lied to save her own back, she said, I asked he if the 'two queens of Oakham were bothering her' as a gay man, I still find it difficult to accept the allegation I was homophobic,  a year on I can thank those two fellow gay men who claim to be NHS workers I doubt that was even true because if it was they would have known the importance of  for contributing towards the loss of my job, although it has been difficult at times, I am pleased I have following the rules, I have not had to put up with the abuse dished out by a few selfish customers who frequent our local stores. I know longer have to deal with the childish bullying dished out within the store by the oldies who work on the checkouts, who after many years told me they are sorry, they only behaved in the way they did because they wrongly listened to what people other people had, They  are the people who appear to be able to keep there jobs for years, what I noticed is they also treat others in the same way especially new starters.

Then there was the current and former town councillors Adam Lowe who caused serious problems for me and the store manager Jen Drew when he was Oakham Mayor.

Joyce Lucas probably the most evil of them all of them, that is all I will say about her persistent poor conduct during her store visits.

Michael Haley and Another Former Mayor,

I don't know who was responsible but just from the content the fly posting in and around the store warning customers against me,  it was very clear they were posted by one of those mentioned, I tend to believe it was former Mayor Michael Haley after finding he had created similar hate poster and displayed them not far from his home.

 Anyway enough of my experiences. I will finish with thanking the Food bank who assisted me early last year and my two friends who have been my support bubble since the start of restrictions.

The year has also saw a Co-op staff member being assaulted and needing hospital treatment. Only the other week police were called to another Oakham shop to remove a customer. After seeing staff in supermarkets crying, because they cant react to the most vile conduct from a limited number of customers, I will be thanking all the retail staff who have served our community throughout this pandemic. 

Panic buying arrived by a some selfish people was arrived a little later her in Oakham than it did in other towns and cities.

Here are some photographs from the first wave of panic buying to hit Oakham Tesco in late March 2020