A Tuesday evening meeting of Oakham Town Council was marked by heated exchanges as members unanimously voted to adopt a formal Civility and Respect Pledge a move intended to draw a line under years of internal friction, though subsequent statements from the town councils chairman highlight ongoing divisions over past governance and staffing costs.
The friction during Tuesday’s meeting arose as the council was required to formally note the minutes of the Finance Committee alongside proposals to adopt the Civility and Respect Pledge, an initiative promoted nationally by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC).
While the pledge passed unanimously, the debate surrounding it and subsequent remarks released after the meeting laid bare deep operational and cultural challenges within the authority.
The motion to adopt the pledge was brought forward by Councillor Melanie Palmer, who cited a "litany of past shortcomings" in how the council has conducted its business. Before being elected to the council, Cllr Palmer worked as an officer for the authority an experience she described in stark terms during the meeting.
"Working as an officer for the council was the worst employment experience of my professional career," Cllr Palmer told the chamber. "I left feeling like the dignity, courtesy and respect every employee deserves was not afforded to me."
Cllr Palmer explained that her negative experience was a primary catalyst for her decision to stand for election, stating she was determined to ensure no future employee, councillor, or volunteer would be treated similarly.
Drawing a distinction between robust political scrutiny and personal hostility, she added: "Respect does not mean avoiding challenge or suppressing disagreement. Decisions should be questioned and those in positions of power should be held to account. However, there is a clear line between rigorous debate and unacceptable behaviour. Bullying, intimidation and personal attacks have no place here."
Under the terms of the newly adopted pledge, Oakham Town Council has committed to five core principles:
Promoting and maintaining the highest standards of conduct, professionalism, and mutual respect across all council business.
Encouraging all elected members to actively support and adhere to the pledge's principles.
Incorporating the pledge into councillor induction processes and ongoing member development.
Reviewing the council’s commitment to the pledge on an annual basis.
Granting delegated authority to the Town Clerk to take necessary actions to maintain compliance.
While signing the pledge remains voluntary for individual councillors under national guidelines, the proposal garnered broad verbal support on Tuesday night. Councillor Paul Ainsley praised the initiative as "such a good idea," while Cllr Martin Brookes acknowledged during the meeting that the council had worked hard this year to improve conduct, though progress had not been "as quick as we'd like."
Following the meeting, however, Mayor Martin Brookes issued a wide-ranging statement reflecting on Cllr Palmer’s remarks, the council's administrative pressures, and recent staffing changes.
Addressing Cllr Palmer’s motivation for joining the council, Cllr Brookes expressed sympathy for her past experience while questioning the premise of running for office to fix internal culture.
"It disappoints me that Melanie had such a difficult time during her one year of employment at Oakham Town Council. Personally, I feel joining the council for that reason is wrong," Cllr Brookes stated, noting that he made a similar mistake when he first joined the council in 2009 hoping to confront bullying. "I am pleased Melanie has other reasons for joining the council which fit more with the true purpose of being a town councillor."
Cllr Brookes went on to describe Oakham Town Council as passing through "a very difficult period in its history," noting that he has personally been labelled a bully for insisting the council adhere to proper governance rules. I feel it is a description far to easily thrown around within councils. He pointed to "three years of the worst internal audit reports" and credited Locum Clerk Sam Haywood with helping the authority avoid receiving its first-ever qualified external audit.
Currently, the council remains heavily reliant on its Locum Clerk whose contract was recently extended by up to four months alongside a temporary administrative assistant and councillors working to clear a significant administrative backlog.
In his statement, Cllr Brookes also raised broader concerns regarding historical workplace culture following the circulation of inappropriate internal correspondence, as well as the financial cost to taxpayers resulting from recent staffing departures.
Whilst would like to to share the inappropriate leaked staff emails that contained discussion who was allegedly sleeping with who, data protection and GDPR rules mean I can't and I must decline to comment on individual employment matters due to legal restrictions, Cllr Brookes pointed to the wider question of public expenditure, expressing frustration over the use of taxpayer funds for severance and exit arrangements following periods of administrative turmoil.
Financial records published on the Oakham Town Council website under Payments made outside of meeting SEPT 26 which were formally noted and approved retrospectively have drawn scrutiny from residents and observers examining the financial cost of the council's recent staffing turnover.
As Oakham Town Council attempts to rebuild its administrative capacity and enforce its new Civility and Respect Pledge, Tuesday's events suggest the road to stability in the chamber remains rocky.
