Body Power Oakham Fitness Centre, Oakham Town Council, Grant Thornton, Auditor, Investigation

This financial year Oakham Town Council spent a quarter of its Council Tax  income setting up friends or associate in business. It spent a total of £64,000 of local residents money on this private enterprise.
The council has let the  gym for less than the market value and over the six years of the lease will make
a loss.

At no time did any councillor declare they knew any of the directors  of Body Power  Fitness  Centre.
This included the Mayor  Councillor Alf Dewis, who would come into contact with  one  of the directors, through his various committee roles.

I have asked  Leicestershire Police to look into to this and they have ignored me twice.

I have written  to my MP  Alan Duncan and he has ignored me regarding this matter.

I spoke to Geoff Pook at Rutland County Council, he gave me the wrong advice, he said
I should raise the issue of  value for money.

I contacted the councils auditor and carefully explained my concerns.

I am pleased to say they have responded and will be considering those concerns

The reply from the Auditor mentions the tendering process, Oakham Town Council decided not
to tender.

It is my view Oakham Town Council is corrupt and until the local residents get over their serious
case of apathy and take control of this council, which is currently run by 8 unelected people and a
over paid Clerk, incidents like this will continue to be repeated.

The Council has reached the point of the year where it will be considering  grant applications  where it gives out public money to the  same old groups often made up of members of the old guard.

lets hope this year there wont be any applications from dodgy councillors, like the one currently  being
investigated by Leicester Police Economic Crime Unit.

Lets hope some real community groups come forward this year seeking support.






Dear Mr Brookes



Thank you for your e mail to the Grant Thornton website in December 2012 which has been forwarded to me. I apologise for the delay in responding to you.



Grant Thornton LLP are the appointed external auditors for all small councils in Rutland. I am the senior manager with responsibility for all those small councils including Oakham Town Council (the council).



You have raised concerns over the council’s spending on a gym which is currently let to a private company. You believe the money spent by the council in letting the gym does not represent value for money. You have also raised concerns over the council’s tendering processes and the way it awards contracts. You have not made a formal objection to the accounts of Oakham Town Council.



I attach a  copy of the Audit Commission publication “Council accounts: a guide to your rights.” I strongly recommend that you read the leaflet and consider its contents.



As Oakham Town Council’s income and expenditure is less than £6,500,000 it is subject to a limited assurance audit. Currently value for money assessments are not part of the limited assurance regime. As external auditors we conduct a limited assurance audit based on the information contained in the council’s annual return. Therefore we will not be undertaking any value for money work in relation to Oakham Town Council.



However as appointed auditors we have a duty to consider, during the course of our audit, any matters brought to our attention. You have raised concerns over the legality of the council’s expenditure in relation to the letting of the gym and other issues around the tending processes of the council, and the awarding of contracts.



Auditors must apply a balanced and proportionate approach in determining the time and resources to be spent on dealing with matters that come to their attention.



We will consider:



·    the significance of the subject matter;

·    whether there is a wider public interest in the issues raised;

·    whether the substance of the matter has previously been considered by the body’s auditor;

·    the costs of dealing with the matter, bearing in mind that these fall directly on the taxpayer; and

·    in the case of objections, the rights of both those subject to the objection and the objector.



We consider that the issues you have raised indicate that we should undertake some additional work to ensure that the Council is acting in accordance with its statutory powers. We will therefore make some enquiries about the council’s spending on the gym and the council’s tendering processes. We do not intend to name you as the source of our information, that said we are unable to guarantee you anonymity throughout the audit process.



Depending on the outcome of our initial enquiries of the council it may become necessary to undertake further work. Any further work required to address issues that have arisen from any source falls outside the remit of the standard audit and auditors are entitled to charge additional fees in relation to that work.

Body Power Oakham Fitness Centre, Barnsdale Lodge

During Oakham Town Councils Financial year  it has spent a quarter of it income setting up a private

Fitness Centre in Oakham.

The council  lets the centre and will not see a return on the tax payers money throughout 

the entire period of the lease.

This is an unacceptable state of affairs.

Why should the local tax payer support this one family,

A little research has found Mrs Spurdle the fitness centre director and company secretary is the PA to Ed Burrows of Barnsdale Lodge Hotel So I  am sure she is not on a low wage.

What interests me about this connection is Ed Burrows is Chair of the Discover Rutland Tourism Committee, Ed Burrows is also connected to many other Rutland committees. Many of those committees are connected to Oakham Town Councillors and its Mayor Alf Dewis.

Mrs Spurdle is often photographed alongside Ed Burrows as you would expect a PA to be.

I am not saying  Mr Burrows has done anything wrong.

What I am saying is most Oakham Town Councillors would know Mrs Spurdle  through their work as 

Councillors on various committees and not one declared an interest.

If this is not corruption then it must be criminal. 

Now it is clear to me why Oakham Town Council have let the property below market value and spent 

a quarter of its annual income assisting this couple set up. The couple being Mr & Mrs Spurdle.

I spoke to the Deputy Mayor Adam Lowe and asked if anyone declared an interest in the exempt part of the meetings when this matter was considered, he said no. He went on to say one Cllr did say they knew Mrs Spurdle and she works at Barnsdale Lodge.

During the conversation  Cllr Lowe also repeated his surprise at the level of money spent on what was an old toilet. He also said more has been spent on the building than if it had been rebuilt and he should know with 

his experience in the building trade.

Once again I am annoyed with the Clerk because of his lack of honesty, he told me this was a ordinary 

couple from Normanton. 

Last year I wrote my MP Alan Ducan to ask him who I should contact so this large expenditure can be investigated. So far he has ignored my request.

Body Power Oakham Fitness Centre, What do you do if your local council spend a quarter of its precept setting you up in business?

What do you do if your local council spend a quarter of its precept setting you up in business?

You show how grateful you are to the tax payer, after a few day from the champagne opening with the Mayor  Cllr Alf Dewis, you start advertising space for rent. Why not profit even more from your wind fall from the local tax payers.

Dear Oakham Town Council,

Re: Fitness Centre.

After the town council has spent over a quarter of this years precept helping a private company set up a gym and then renting it out for a loss, I now see the tenants are advertising too sublet space, a studio. I have spoke to Cllr lowe and he said he will take a look at the lease.

I can not believe the town councils expenditure for this project is lawful.

The advertisement placed on the Oakham People site today.

If the tenant does not require all the space maybe they can open it up free of charge for the community as they did pay for it.

From

Martin Brookes

Body Power Oakham Fitness Centre

 

01572 757041

2 Princess Avenue
Oakham
LE15 6PQ

Opening Times:

Mon to Fri 9am to 9pm
Saturday 10 to 4
Sunday closed
www.bodypowerfitness.co.uk

        

Categories:

• Leisure & Sports Facilities in Oakham

Gym/Fitness centre & Nutrition Shop
Weights Room
Cardio Suite
Nutrition/Supplement shop
Studio to rent please call for more info

Body Power Oakham Fitness Centre thanks tax payers for £60,000 2 Princess Avenue Oakham LE15 6PQ

A disgusting amount of public money has been spent on refurbishing this publicly owned property.

Oakham Town Council are the trusted owners of the property and have spent over £60,000
of public money making it suitable for a commercial tenant.

It would have probably been cheaper to rebuild.

The council are renting the property to the tenant below market value and will not start making
any money until after the new lease expires.

I don't blame the tenant, I understand them wanting to celebrate the opening, but I feel
the local tax payer has nothing to celebrate. The Town Council has squandered public money
to satisfy the need of a commercial company.

Body Power Oakham Fitness Centre I am sure thanks all Oakham all the tax payer for £60,000
I asked Oakham Town council if the would set aside a similar sum of cash to help me set
up  business in town, To date they have not responded.

I hope if the Rutland Times is going to publicise this opening it publishes the full details regarding
the cost to the tax payer and how it is not going to make any money from the letting.

The newly refurbished Oakham fitness centre is reopening on Saturday 22nd September 2012.

The mayor cllr Alf Dewis will be officially opening the centre at 10am 

Special guest appearance Dave Titterton two times Mr Britain and two times Mr Universe.

http://www.davetitterton.com/

Date: Saturday, September 22, 2012



Body Power Oakham Fitness Centre
2 Princess Avenue Oakham LE15 6PQ

www.bodypowerfitness.co.uk