Rutland County Councils First Public Meeting of 2021 the AGM to be held in County Museum Oakham Rutland

Rutland County Councillors will meet in person this evening to appoint Elected Members to a number of key positions for the 2021/22 council year.

Rutland County Councillors will meet in person this evening to appoint Elected Members to a number of key positions for the 2021/22 council year. 

The Annual Council meeting is taking place on Monday 10 May at 7.00pm and is being held at Rutland County Museum. Rutland’s Council Chamber is currently unavailable because it continues to operate as a COVID-19 vaccination site.

Members of the public will be able to view the meeting online Details of how to watch can be found online at: www.rutland.gov.uk/meetings.

Recent changes to national legislation mean that members of the public can also attend the meeting in person. However, space is extremely limited and anyone who wishes to attend must reserve a place in advance by emailing: governance@rutland.gov.uk. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

The Annual Council meeting will elect a Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council for the next 12 months, as well as appointing individual Councillors to important positions on various committees and scrutiny committees. 

Following the appointments, Members will be asked to agree a proposed schedule of meetings for the next 12 months, including future dates for Full Council, Cabinet and other statutory Committees. 

This will be the first time that Rutland County Councillors have met in person since local authorities in England were handed new COVID powers to hold public meetings virtually in April 2020.

“Annual Council last year had to take place virtually because of COVID-19. The re-introduction of physical meetings is being done gradually and safely, in line with changes to Government legislation and the latest public health guidelines. Although the Government is easing national lockdown measures, the extra work and responsibilities absorbed by local councils because of the pandemic has not gone away. Efforts to deliver local services safely and address the long term impact of COVID will continue for a long time to come. Annual Council will agree the structure and key roles that allow us to carry on with this important work.” Councillor Oliver Hemsley, Leader of Rutland County Council

Measures being taken for the safe return of meetings held in public include using a venue large enough for effective social distancing, ventilation and the use of lateral flow testing. Councillors will be required to wear masks, unless medically exempt, and take a COVID test within 24 hours of the meeting. 

Anyone who would like to watch the meeting online or listen by phone can find further details on the Meetings page of the Council’s website, together with the full agenda and reports for Annual Council: www.rutland.gov.uk/annualcouncil.  

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