Oakham Town Council Stalls Amidst Clerk Crisis and Absenteeism
An extraordinary meeting of Oakham Town Council, convened on Monday by Councillors Sally-Anne Wadsworth and Martin Brookes, failed to proceed due to a lack of quorum, highlighting ongoing operational difficulties within the council. The meeting, held at Long Row Oakham, was called after the Chairman of the council reportedly failed to call a previously requested meeting.
The urgent purpose of the extraordinary gathering was to seek consent for the appointment of a locum clerk to ensure the continuation of the council's essential business. However, despite the critical nature of the agenda, the meeting could not go ahead as an insufficient number of councillors were present.
Councillors Wadsworth and Brookes confirmed that apologies were received from all members except one: Councillor Eve Tempest. This marks the second recent instance of Cllr Tempest failing to provide apologies, as she also did not do so for the recent annual meeting.
Both Councillors Wadsworth and Brookes expressed their profound disappointment regarding the inability of members to attend and resolve such a crucial issue. They emphasised that the council is currently not functioning as it should be, a situation exacerbated by the prolonged absence of the permanent clerk.
In the interim, Councillor Anna Douthwaite has commendably been dedicating her time pro bono to sort out the end-of-year accounts, a vital task left unattended due to the clerk's long-term absence. Further compounding the administrative challenges, the Deputy Clerk has also experienced periods of sickness and, since returning to work, has taken two periods of holiday.
The ongoing inability to appoint a locum clerk leaves Oakham Town Council in a precarious position, with essential administrative functions potentially stalled and a clear need for greater engagement from its members to ensure the smooth operation of local governance.
