Town Clerk says "############## is suggesting Oakham Town Council Bribe a third party with the help from #############"

The following post has been edited, at the request of a named person and company. The previously named person and company claim the inclusion of their names is defamatory. This would suggest to me The Clerk who now says he was only joking has been slanderous.  After some negotiations, I have decided to remove the names. I find it strange I can not mention a firm that works for the Town Council, who are paid for by the tax payer. This decision is taken to save the public any further costs. I have personally told the person I had not intended to cause their firm any embarrassment and said sorry if this was the case.

Oakham Town Council has got its self into a mess regarding a exempt item. Because of the decision whether to exclude the Public and Press under the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings Act 1960 Section 1(2) I can not disclose the reason for this mess.

I sat through the item and feel it is in the public interest to disclose the following.


The Clerk handed members a confidential letter from ######## containing a number of options one of those options is the third option described by the Town Clerk as a bribe on more than one occasion. As a Councillor I am very uncomfortable with this and have wrote the following public letter:


Dear ###########,

Before last nights council meeting members were handed a letter of advice from ##########.

One paragraph suggested a course of action described as a third alternative, it suggested a third party could be approached without prejudice basis. The practical advantage of this approach could perhaps be discussed with ######## whose discussions with the third party would of course be on a without prejudice basis anyway.

This suggestion did not concern me until the matter was discussed at last nights meeting The Town Clerk Richard White said "this is a bribe", I suggested the word bribe might be the wrong word for him to use in this case and he may like to use another word, like compensation if that would be more appropriate? He responded "no its a bribe"  the suggestion you had advised the council take part in a illegal act was repeated on more than one occasion.

It dos not surprise me that Oakham Town Council is willing to discuss illegal activities such as bribes. I am very surprised a firm of solicitors would suggest such action. I read you have never dealt with this type of case before. Can I ask how much the council is paying your firm for this advice, a matter you  appear to have little experience of.

If the council is going to take the third option and consider the bribe as the Clerk described and use public money in this illegal manner I wish to publicly dissociate myself from this matter. The Clerk mentioned the sum of £5,000. No decision was made at last nights meeting.

As a Councillor I have a duty to the tax payer to protect their money, any suggestion of bribing makes me feel very uncomfortable especially when you consider the legal implications. I also feel I have to seek advice from the monitoring officer regarding my continued involvement in these discussions. This may be something my fellow ward Councillor may wish to consider because his involvement could be detrimental to his role at Leicestershire Constabulary.

Your sincerely


Martin Brookes




Cllr. Martin Brookes
Oakham Town Council