A couple of years ago residents of Rutland took part in a Flora marketing campaign
which saw residents freely used in a nationwide TV commercial and Oakham described
as Village.
After the campaign was complete Flora offered Oakham some fitness equipment.
since the Town council installed it there has been no maintenance and mine and
other peoples reports of damaged equipment has been ignored.
When I raise these types of issues with the clerk via I am accused of bullying and
intimidating.
Due to unlawful sanctions imposed by Oakham Town Council I can no longer let the
clerk know these issues are not being dealt with.
After the last meeting Cllr Anne Skipton told me 'the trouble with you is you have
too much time on your hands'
Maybe so but I would be neglecting my responsibilities as a Councillor if I just
ignored the neglect of our public spaces.
I was pleased to see since I posted about a damaged bin in Cutts Close the
Council has decided to get it sorted.
Why could the Clerk not act when she received a email some time ago?
Do I have to publish everything on my blog to get it sorted now.
The previous clerk Richard White used to say we don't do much but what we
do we do well. If he was referring to public spaces I would agree with that
comment at the time.
Now I can not agree with that, the public spaces are not being inspected by the
Clerk. It is filthy, I can no longer pass on the complaints to the clerk when
mum regularly complain to me.
One of our other ocuncillors came up with a good suggestion. When we pay
Allison Greaves our clerk to walk the dogs she brings to work, she takes them
for a walk to one of the three public spaces and inspects them and then
she would not get stressed by email complaints or my blog posts.
I don't actually believe the clerk gets stressed. I think she just objects to
people pointing out her failings. When I copy other Councillor she once
asked me not to because it makes her 'look stupid and not doing her job'
Working for Oakham Town Council is a lovely little job we even give
the Clerk time of to visit the hair salon, I don't imagine there are many other
employers who are so casual about employment as Oakham Town Council are.
Never mind it is only public money that is being spent!
Allison used to tell me the former Clerk never gave her work and if he worked
for her former employer they would never have let him get away with what
he did. I would suggest the same would apply to her.
Before I was banned from visiting the council office, I visited the other week
to collect some keys and was greeted by dogs barking and ignored.
I returned later and was greeted with a shout of 'for gods sake what does he
want'
I am told it is wrong to highlight the Clerks disrespect towards me. Because
I am one of her employers. What a joke. If I was truly one of her employers
I would be able to get this sorted.
What I find most disappointing about the situation with Allison is when she was actually
having to work due to the issues we had with the previous clerk.
I kept asking for her to be paid fairly, she was doing the clerks work for less than half the
pay. I am sure if I had not asked the council twice to pay her a bonus for all the extra
work she would not have received any extra pay.
I can of course thank Cllr Adam Lowe for the total break down of the professional
relationship between me and Allison. I don't need to repeat anymore about her email
he shared or the video when she reads a email saying sorry and stating we are all
responsible for the councils failings.
After I published the video she said 'friends don't do that and why it remains on-line
we won't be friends'
Personally I did not consider Allison a friend, just a nice person the council employs
how wrong was I to think that.
Below some of the photographs of the neglected Flora fitness equipment, showing missing
rubber protectors, my past emails about this have been ignored.
I guess now I have published this the equipment will be removed.
