Thursday, September 15, 2016

Recording Meetings Oakham Town Council New Standing Order New table for Councillors to sit in corner Health and Safety

Recording Meetings, Oakham Town Council Changes Standing Order and Will buy a new table for Councillor to sit in corner of room

Last nights meeting went well despite the rude interruptions from Cllrs Stubbs and Haley
the sort that would have got me kicked out.

I have challenged the chairman Cllr Lowe about this and he feels he did enough to stop the
repeated interruptions. He added he does not kick me out it is members. I dispute this claim
because the last time members voted at his request only four voted including the majority wasted
their vote by abstaining.

At one point of the meeting Stan Stubbs even interrupted the chairman to give his opinion.
His opinion was that others member (s) input was a pointless and a lot of time had been wasted of The chairman acknowledge by saying he disagreed and it was just Cllr Stubbs opinion.

One decision was made last night which does make the council look very daft.

A standing orders change, now means any Councillor who wishes to record the
meeting must sit in the corner of the room for health and safety reasons! everyone accept the clerk.
He can place his digital recorder on the council table.

Cllr Stan Stubbs was very vocal about recording of meetings, he strongly objected to any member sitting at the council table and recording him.

I pointed out to the council that perhaps the table in the corner should be replaced, the legs are loose and have fallen off in the past, a health and safety! concern. So the council will buy a new table
for me to sit in the corner. The really daft thing is this table is within a metre from where I normally
sit and if it is sited so I can sit at it and take part in meetings, it will be less than a metre away from the council table.

The resolution has been brought to council before and fallen, I wonder what has changed.
Perhaps it was because two recent conduct complaints against Cllr Stan Stubbs (calling me a bastard) and Cllr Michael Haley (not permitting me to speak at ta meeting) were upheld because I could provide video evidence?

If the council actually sorted out the system installed by Melcom in 2015 and they made copies of recordings available, I would not need to record meetings myself. The system has never worked properly and is most certainly not a good advertisement for the company who supplied it.
Last night Cllr Stan Stubbs rudely interrupted me to say the council has not spent thousands on
the system that does not work. Below is the original installation quote when you add VAT the cost is
over £1000. The council has not been able to record a meeting since March 2016 I am told it is the fault of Melcom, I doubt that knowing that both Cllrs Stubbs and Haley both object to the council
being open and transparent other members also object to being recorded.