Oakham Town Council, Co-option Panel
Oakham Town Council has set up a co-option panel
to interview a person who wants to become a town
councillor.
Cllr Lucas said she knows the person, it also appeared
Cllr Haworth and Cllr Lowe also know them.
The panel will made up of
Cllr Dewis
Cllr Lockett
Cllr Guthrie
I hope the council fill the seat that has been vacant since 2009
At public deputations I told the council co-options are not democratic
and the council has failed to promote the role of Councillor because
it is convenient for a few members who are elected unopposed.
I used the example of Uppingham Town Council that did
open up to the public just before the last election and according
the Clerk they could not find records for a previous election
all seats were contested and the Town now appears to have
a decent council
I am not sure what right these councillors have to interview
and decide who will represent the people of Oakham.
But as I said to one member of the public who last night
who asked me how do they get away with what they do?
I replied because you let them.
We were chatting about the council spending a quarter
of this years income on setting up a private company with
a fully furnished Gym.
You would be surprised by how many people don't know
how this council is squandering its money and when I
tell them about the Gym expenditure they appear shocked.
Going back to my deputation I finished by saying the effort
of this council to find new members was shameful.
The council has a huge sum of money set aside for
elections that did not happen,
Can they use that money to produce and deliver
leaflets to the wards with vacancies, explaining just what
residents need to do to call an election a notice on
a notice board in town is not enough.
Cllr Lockett said he felt the panel he was joining was
a good thing because a candidate needs to know about the
role. Why can't they just be given a information pack and
then if the want to be co-opted in the undemocratic way
let them be co-opted.
