Sunday, October 11, 2015

Oakham Town Council Report From The Neighbourhood Development Working Group First Meeting

Oakham Town Council Report From The Neighbourhood Development Working Group First Meeting










































Dear OTC

Where a parish or town council chooses to produce a neighbourhood plan or Order it should work with other members of the community who are interested in, or affected by, the neighbourhood planning proposals to allow them to play an active role in preparing a neighbourhood plan or Order.

The relationship between any group and the formal functions of the town or parish council should be transparent to the wider public. 

For example it should be clear whether a steering group or other body is a formal sub-committee of the parish or town council. 

The terms of reference for a steering group or other body should be published and the minutes of meetings made available to the public.

Revision date: 06 03 2014


Oakham Town Council held its first meeting in Private and has not  complied with the following:

The terms of reference for a steering group or other body should be published and the minutes of meetings made available to the public.


http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/neighbourhood-planning/who-leads-neighbourhood-planning-in-an-area/


By refusing my request to work on the neighbourhood plan working group Oakham Town Council is breaching a basic government required
shown above.

Looking at the recent report from the first meeting of Neighbourhood Development Plan Working Group

It is looking to me as if the group is working on the basis that Oakham Town Council will lead the plan
rather than a group made up of community members and councillors. Who decided this?
I would have expected the working group to produce a report based on the two options.

If Oakham Town Council decides it wants to go ahead with preparing its own led plan, please can it
remember it could be a very costly failkure  if the independent examiner does not feel that all members
of the community have been permitted to take part in the preparation of the plan or order.

Rather like the gym the councils NDP working group, which I am excluded from does not appear to have a clear
instruction from the council,

most of the report appears to have been cut and pasted from online.

The council needs to vote, does it want a plan or not? ASAP.

I am told Oakham Ward County Councillors (not all of them) have been invited to the next working group meeting why?
And if the Clerk is telling me the truth which I doubt? this working group does not form part of the preparation of the
plan, it is meant to being looking into what is required and advicing members and assiting Cllrs when they are asked tomake their
decission. So why are selected Rutland councillors even being asked to contribute at this stage?
It is very well known Rutland County Councillor want Oakham Town Council to get on and start the process.
One not invited even spoke as a disspointed resident at our town meeting earlier this year is this why they
were not invited?

Once the council has voted on the implementation of a plan, a committee needs to be set
up and as an interested party who would be effected by the plan I would like to be
part of the committee.

The reason for my interest is, I am a Oakham South East Cllr and resident and property owner.

Details of any refusal will as the first be passed independent examiner at the relevant stage.

Certain members of Council must wake up to the fact a plan has huge implications and benefits to all
who work and live in Oakham and all should be included not excluded.

From

Martin Brookes