Oakham Town Council Meeting 9th January 2019 Agenda Oakham Town Partnership Request For Funding ?!!

Oakham Town Council
Victoria Hall, 39 High Street, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6AH
Telephone: 01572 723627
e-mail: enquiries@oakhamtowncouncil.gov.uk

TO: ALL MEMBERS OF THE TOWN COUNCIL
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED TO ATTEND A MEETING OF
OAKHAM TOWN COUNCIL, WEDNESDAY 9th JANUARY 2019 AT 6.30 PM, AT THE OFFICESOF THE TOWN COUNCIL, VICTORIA HALL, 39 HIGH STREET, OAKHAM, RUTLAND LE15 6AH.

MEMBERS OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND
Allison Greaves
Clerk to the Council
3rd January 2019

THE MEETING OF OAKHAM TOWN COUNCIL
WEDNESDAY 9TH JANUARY 2019 AT 6.30PM

 Members of the public attending this meeting are advised that it may be filmed and recorded.

AGENDA
 1. APOLOGIES - Standing Order 1(u)
(i) To receive apologies for absence
(ii) To decide whether to approve absences

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members are asked to declare, if required:
(i) Any Disclosable Pecuniary Interest they may have in respect to items on the agenda
(ii) Any other interest they may have in respect to items on the agenda
Members are also reminded to inform the Clerk of any changes in their Register of Members’ Interests

3. MINUTES (Appendix A)
To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on Wednesday 12th December 2018

4. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBER’S REPORTS
To receive reports from the Chairman and members who have attended meetings on behalf
of Oakham Town Council
(Members intending to report should inform the Clerk prior to the meeting)

5. COUNCILLOR’S QUESTIONS
To answer questions previously notified to the Clerk under Standing Order 9

 6. CLERK’S REPORT – For information only
To receive a report from the Clerk

 7. DEPUTATIONS BY THE PUBLIC
Members of the Public are invited to address the meeting in accordance with procedures laid
down in Standing Orders 1(d) – 1(i)

8. WORKING GROUPS AND STEERING GROUPS STRATEGY
To receive a written report from the Working and Steering Groups and to make any decisions as
appropriate:

(i) Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group
(ii) Promotion and Publicity Working Group
(iii) St George’s Barracks
(iv) Oakham Town Task and Finish Group
(v) Floral Displays Working Group

 9. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS (Appendix B)
To decide whether to approve the Statement of Accounts to 31st December 2018

10. 2019/20 BUDGET ROUND 3/3 (Appendices C, D, E, F)
To consider the draft budget for 2019/20 so that the precept can be set for the next financial year.
Submission deadline to Rutland County Council by 21st January 2019.

(i) To approve a request from Citizens Advice Rutland and allocate a sum in the budget
(ii) To approve a request from Oakham Town Partnership and allocate a sum in the budget
(iii) Approve or otherwise the earmarked reserves ready for the new financial year set up
(iv) Approve or otherwise the budget for 2019/20 for submission to Rutland County Council


Currently the council is not complying with the law which requires two members to reconcile the
accounts before they are accepted by the full council. For some reason the council who are aware of this accept the accounts unchecked.

(i) To approve a request from Citizens Advice Rutland and allocate a sum in the budget

The council six month rule unfortunately should apply to the above item as it voted at its last budget meeting not to include any sum within its budget.


(ii) To approve a request from Oakham Town Partnership and allocate a sum in the budget

The council six month rule fortunately should apply to the above item as it voted at its last budget meeting not to include any sum within its budget.

The only time the Town Partnership Contacts the council is to beg for money.

The partnership appear to be made up of former Town Councillors and allegedly a drug taking local business man who I am told spent most of the end of last summer in a comma in hospital.
At the last budget meeting our chairman Cllr Adam Lowe told us all in public how he had attended a meeting with two of the partnership members who are former Mayors, the meeting was held in Costa Coffee and did not go well. The partnership wont accept any representation from any member of Oakham Town Council but it appears to accept a business rep who takes drugs?

The partnership is made of very sexist former Town Councillors. Former Mayor and Councillot Michael Haley being the biggest. This was highlighted at the Town meeting last year when woman complained he had driven all the woman of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group. Cllr Joyce Lucas also raised this issue at a council meeting he was chairing last year.

A local female retailer sent me the following description of the Oakham Town Partnership in a message:

"OTP with all the pighead men who have no respect for women"

Michael Haley is probably going to destroy the farmers market. sending traders very rude emails
signing himself the as the director of the partnership and rather oddly demanding VAT on rental fees
since taking over as treasurer. After taking over from another former Oakham Town Councillor who allegedly has finally been kicked out of the Air Ambulance for alleged wrong doing.

The partnership is asking for £2500 to do various things including setting up a chamber of trade.
Very odd it is my understanding the Town Partnership was set up to replace the chamber of trade.

The partnership fails to understand the meaning of partnership. It fails to find funding from the correct funding bodies.

The Town / Parish Council can not use its precept to support local business.

Some local traders have indicated they want to set up their own Chamber of Trade and have nothing to do with the defunct Oakham Town Partnership perhaps they should seek advice from Rutland County Council. or look at the BBC report on the high street I like the success of one Lincoln retail street that looks after its self hold street party events and used crowd funding to buy their own Christmas Lights.



(iii) Approve or otherwise the earmarked reserves ready for the new financial year set up


The government website is very clear about the above a parish council can only hold reserves for capital projects and can not spend them in the year the money is collected. In simple language a parish council can not hold reserves for a rainy day.

The finance working group has failed to meet once to discuss or plan the budget or sort the above issue. The law does say the Clerk can assist in setting the budget. So we agreed she could join the working group, the group failed to meet so I resigned. The member of the council appear to have no interest in one of the most important tasks the council is required to carry out.