Saturday, October 08, 2016

Comments about Oakham Town Council Agenda and Minutes 12th October 2016

Minutes why does the Clerk no longer send out a draft?

 
I have read the minutes for the last meeting which we are to accept at next weeks meeting
I am astonished at the way the minutes are recorded.
 
What is the point of recording Cllr Brookes objects to the previous minutes, when the reason is not
recorded.
 
My objection was that there was no minute to explain why or even in fact the meeting was moved into the
office, after the incident in which Adam Lowe assaulted me.  I was excluded unlawfully from the meeting
which continued in the locked office but there is no record of anything happening, it would appear the meeting
continued in it normal location with no incidents.
 
Also the Clerk lies in the minutes he states a councillor asked questions about the payments and the clerk
would give a direct answer this is a lie. The Video of the meeting shows the truth Cllr Adam Lowe said the
question could not be answered due to data protection, The council is required to publicly answer those questions.
Since the last meeting the Clerk has not contacted me in any way.
 
I have contacted the Assistants Clerk regarding the matter of obtaining the Internal Audit Report which has still
not been provided to all members or published online.
 
I have contacted the office regarding two matters since the last meeting.
 
So I can assume the single point of contact item which Cllr Lowe is attempting to get the council to agree to
does not apply to me. Although I suspect it does because I feel Cllr Lowe and co and hell bent on excluding
me in every way possible.
 
Cllr Lowe lied in a recent conduct complaint, he keeps lying and bullying and needs to stop. At the last meeting
I did not say Allison should pay back any money, my concern was that Allison had not long been appointed the
proper officer and had received the appropriate pay increase for this role, we were being asked to appoint the
locum Clerk as proper officer and it is only correct to seek clarification from the council that we would not be paying
two people twice. It is a fact when I asked my question Cllr Lowe responded by saying it was a matter for the staffing committee
so I was some what surprised to see Cllr Lowe had change my question and lied to the monitoring officer and once
again accuses me of bullying and intimidating Allison.
 
At the next meeting the Clerk has brought an agenda item regarding the general power of competence.
Most of what he states is true. His claim the local government act permits the council to award grants
to community groups is correct. There was an attempt to miss use the power at the meeting because the
Town Partnership which is not a community group asked for money to reward an individual a prize. The Local
government act forbids the rewarding of individuals so the council led by the Clerk and Chairman bent the rules
and just gave the money for general purpose not as requested by the partnership. If the council was dealing with
a request for a general grant from a community group it would not need to use the general power of competence
 
As we are reviewing the general power of competence can I ask a simple question has the current locum clerk
received the required Training, The ex Clerk went away on a days training to obtain this pointless power.
I say pointless because the council is not planning to do anything where this act would be used.
 
Please note lidl is incorrectly spelled on the agenda.
 
Can I thank the council for sending us the exempt item report, at the last meeting not enough time was given
to us to consider the content of a report that was displayed on the screen only.
 
I am a little puzzled to know why the consideration of place a advert and the cost should be an exempt item.
This year the council seems to be over using the exempt rule. The NALC guidance states it should be used
in very limited circumstances.
 
We are also still failing to give the lawful reason for excluding press and public we are required to quote
the full reason and the paragraph of the act.
 
To Just say it concerns confidential matters is not acceptable.
 
I have pointed out it might be good to look at RCC Agenda so we get this right. Often even if RCC place the
exempt notice on the agenda press and pubic are not excluded because the member don't discuss the confidential
part of the item.
 
Why does Oakham Town Council need to exclude press and public to authorise expenditure for placing adverts?
 
In agenda item 14 council website, there is an allegation Millennium have backtracked do you think it is appropriate for the clerk 
to state this in a public report.
 
We are also being asked to spend over a £1000 now with Welland Creative the report does not show us what they will be doing.
 
The report also states The Locum Clerk and Cllr Haley recently met with the director of the Millenium who authorised this
meeting, it is no surprise it appears Millenium may have fallen out with the council. Cllr Haley constantly thinks he
runs this council and arranges meetings with people with out consulting the full council. At the last meeting the council
agreed Allison would work on this project and when asked if she required assistance the answer was no.
Why are we not being given Millenium costs to get the original site up and running and why have we not been provided with a
proper written quote from Welland Creative, who are they?
Cllr Haley constantly attempts to prevents me from speaking at meetings and the was found guilty of that after my recent conduct complaint
he lied to the monitoring officer, he said he would say sorry to me, he has not and constantly ignores me and struts
in and out of the council office like he owns it so I ask the above questions now giving him time to consider a answer
for the meeting.
 
From
 
Martin Brookes