Cllr Joyce Lucas's Response to my email complaint to Grant Thornton regarding Oakham Town Councils Accounts Inspection

Cllr Joyce Lucas BEM thinks that an elector and a Councillor wishing to exercise their
legal right to inspect the all aspects of the councils accounts is intimidation.
I think the conduct of Cllr Joyce Lucas is a disgrace and she is unfit to be a Councillor.

Since sending this email the auditor and the council I have been in communication with the Clerk at
the town council and Leicestershire Police.

The Clerk has now agreed I can see who the £18,000 of public money was paid to.
The Clerk is very upset and questions why I am interested in something that happened
a year ago.

The Clerk has also confirmed that the council has not followed the correct lawful
procedure when the payments were made to the former Clerk and asked if I was
going to throw her in prison.

It is sad that the Clerk is upset, she was not the Clerk at the time all this happened
so I do not understand her reaction.

The blame for further mess must be the responsibility of last years Chairman
and Deputy and the Locum Clerk.

£100 or £18,000 is not the issue here, what is the issue here is once again
the council has made further unlawful payments and when is it going to learn
it is not above the law, I guess never when the few members of the old guard
state a Councillor who wants a council run within lawfully is intimidating.

Cllr Lucas is a bully and should consider her position on the council and
whoever be it the Chairman or Deputy who pushed through these
unlawful payments should resign before the auditor publishes once again
Oakham Town Council has made unlawful payments or will they hang on to
the last minute like Alf Dewis did when he was found to have spent public
money unlawfully?

Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2017 at 2:55 PM
From: lucashackgreen@aol.com
To: "Martin Brookes" , "Allison Greaves" , "website.enquiries.liverpool@uk.gt.com"
Cc: "Adam Lowe" , "Anne Skipworth" , "David Romney" , "Andrew Bennett" , "Peter ind" , "Sally Anne Wadsworth " , "Debbie Mogg"

Subject: RE: Complaint to Grant Thornton

Martin,

When are you going to stop all this intimidation?

J

From: Martin Brookes
Sent: 12 July 2017 12:57
To: Allison Greaves; website.enquiries.liverpool@uk.gt.com
Cc: Adam Lowe; Anne Skipworth; David Romney; Andrew Bennett; Joyce Lucas; Peter ind; Sally Anne Wadsworth ; Debbie Mogg
Subject: Complaint to Grant Thornton

Dear Grant Thorton

I have been in communication with Oakham Town Council regarding my right to inspect the accounts

as an elector and Blogger.

The deadline for Bloggers has passed

It would appear Oakham Town Council issued its notice later then expected and the final 

day for inspection the Clerk has told me is 14th July 2017 for electors.

I have explained now only want to inspect a bank statement which shows who received 

two electronic payments which are part of my previous objection sent to you as an elector.

I have asked before and the payee was redacted I am told the same will apply if I visit

tomorrow. email shown below,

It is my understanding that withholding this information is unlawful.

The two payments one being for £10,000 and the second for £8,000 have never been 

brought to a full council for approval.

The council is fully aware of this legal requirement as it brought to a recent meeting

an agenda item to approve £6000 paid to Oakham Town Partnership and has done so

in the past for all other payments over £5000

As the auditor please could you check Oakham Town Council did pay Richard

White the former Clerk the money or do I need to report this matter to the police

because in my opinion if the council not willing to show an elector or Councillor where the money

has been sent to then I suspect it has gone to some one  else and not the former Clerk.

I believe the new transparency act requires Oakham Town Council to publish in full

all payments of £100 on its website and this would also cover this payment.

From

Martin Brookes