Rather jokingly this The Steering Group which is a working group of Oakham Town Council
says this is your voice your choice.
The preparations for the plan completely ruined by former Cllr and Mayor Michael Haley was started over two years ago and we still do not have a draft plan written.
All the ladies left the group and complaints were raised at the town meeting which saw the removal of former Cllr Haley from the group and his eventual resignation from the council.
I was appointed one of the town councils reps and was booted off after one meeting after I expressed concerns regarding lack of access to files, the cost.
The preparation of the plans to date has cost over £11,000 with little if nothing to show for that money.
Many times I raised concerns in recorded council meetings about the thousands of pounds spent on this pointless plan and former Cllr Michael Haley would suggest I was lying, the only person lying was him as was proved when he resigned from the council the Clerk immediately issued a report informing members of the cost spent.
Since being booted of the working group I have requested agendas and minutes and the chairman
of the working group Chris Clark has refused to provide anything.
How can it be right for the Town Council to have a working group that refuses to co-operate with its own members?
Many members of the Town Council are not interested in the future of Oakham for a long time
our current Mayor Adam Lowe and County Councillor refused to recognise the working group
as Oakham Town Councils.
As no one else wanted to replace me on the group he has decided to give it a go.
Oakham Town Council has been heavily criticised for its role or lack of role it plays within
our town by the Task and Finish group at Rutland County Council.
Oakham Town Council took no part in the County Councils plans for the town centre improvements
mostly thanks to former Cllr Michael Haley who decided not to inform the town council of Rutland County Council plans.
Mr Haley is a very unpleasant bullying individual who once he has read this post for some deluded reason is likely to write to me again threatening me and threatening to rather oddly write to my employer. Mr Haley is a very bitter and twisted person who forced the Clerk to lie to Leicestershire police about me. Since his departure from the council most of the damage he caused has been undone
the Clerk although things will never be the same since she lied to the police, now communicates with me in a professional manner.
Going back to cost. The Group has appointed consultants and according to the Rutland County Council adviser to the group Colin Dunigan said the consultants had not provided a sufficient
breakdown of the work they were going to carry out for the council.
He also added the main the group were not listening to him and that was the main reason for the
very slow progress of the plan.
The Chairman of the group Chris Clark did not have a clue how much money had been spent or how and has requested the information from the Clerk.
I would have thought spending would have been something the Chairman would need to have known about from day one.
The group told me Mr Haley said OTC has plenty of money and they did not need to apply for grants.
despite all the guidance stating grants should be applied for first. I often asked at meetings about grant applications and was refused info, this would suggest the council was lied to more than once. The current Chairman Chris Clark should be replaced or the plan scrapped before we waste anymore local tax payers money.
