NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of Oakham Town Council will be held on Wednesday February 8th 2012 at 7.00pm at the Town Council offices. Please click on the link to view or download the agenda for the meeting.

TOWN COUNCIL BUDGET
At its meeting held on Wednesday January 11th, members approved the Town Council budget for the 2012 - 2013 financial year. A copy of the approved budget can be downloaded here
(Please note this is in the form of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and you may need to download appropriate software to read it).
Alternatively a hard copy is available free of charge.

The Town Council precept in 2012 - 2013 will be £208666 which equates to £52.13 per Band D property in Oakham.
This represents no increase on the 2011 - 2012 figure.

GRANTS 2012 - 2013
Oakham Town Council has made £10000 available in 2012 - 2013 to local organisations. Projects must have a direct benefit to residents of Oakham. A copy of the grant application form is available from the Town Council Offices or can be downloaded here. Alternatively, forms will be posted out on request.

The closing date for all grant applications for the 2012 - 2013 financial year is 31st March 2012. Applications received after this date will, unfortunately, not be considered.

FLORAL DISPLAYS 2012 - 2015
Oakham Town Council has awarded the contract for the Town's floral displays for the four year period 2012 - 2015 to Greetham Garden Centre.
The contract is for the supply, erection and dismantling of the displays attached to businesses in the town and those mounted on lamp posts and on barriers at Cutts Close and Barleythorpe Road.
The total value of the contract over the four years is £19500.

NEW NOTICEBOARDS
The Town Council will be purchasing new noticeboards to replace those currently situated on the Gaol Street side of the Citizens' Advice Bureau and outside the Rutland County Library.

CUTTS CLOSE
The Council will be submitting a planning application to erect a 6m flagpole adjacent to the Bandstand in Cutts Close. In addition, new signage welcoming visitors to the park will be installed. The Council may also be introducing bird boxes to increase the diversity of wildlife in the Park.

LOO OF THE YEAR AWARD
The public toilets situated in the Church Street Car Park have once again been awarded a maximum 5 stars in the Loo of the Year Award.

NEW OFFICE OPENING TIMES
Revised opening times for the office are 10.00am - 2.00pm from Mondays to Thursdays. The office will be closed to the public on Fridays.

RESIGNATION OF COUNCILLOR
Chris Hopkin has resigned as a Town Councillor for the Oakham North East Ward. In his resignation letter to the Chairman of the Council, Chris stated that he no longer had enough spare time to devote to the role.

OAKHAM TENNIS CLUB
At a well attended meeting held on 23rd November 2011, the Planning and Parks Committee voted not to approve a request from Oakham Lawn Tennis Club to erect floodlighting to all four courts at its facility at the Vale. Oakham Town Council own the land on which the Tennis Club is situated and, as the Landlords, were initially being asked to approve the development. Approval was necessary before any Planning Application could be submitted to Rutland County Council.

The Tennis Club has now formally requested that the Council consider the erection of floodlighting to three of the tennis courts. This will be considered in the New Year

ROYCE'S PLAYING FIELD
Oakham Town Council is seeking the views of residents of Oakham on proposals to build a new Toddlers' Play Area at the Park in 2012. The Council is  currently approaching a number of play equipment manufacturers for possible designs and quotations.

It is anticipated that the Council will be spending £50000 on the project . The Council will be asked to formally approve the borrowing of this amount, over a period of 10 years, from the Public Works Loan Board at its meeting due to be held on February 8th 2012.
 

DISQUALIFICATION OF COUNCILLOR
Martin Brookes has been disqualified from being a member of Oakham Town Council, or any other Local Authority, for a period of two years from November 16th 2011. This followed hearings of the First Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber held on 15th August 2011 and 30th September 2011. The full decision of the Tribunal can be viewed here.

FLORAL DISPLAYS 2012 - 2015
The Council is seeking quotations for the Town's floral displays for the four year period from 2012 - 2015.
A copy of the tender document is available to download here or a hard copy is available from the Town Council offices.

OAKHAM IN BLOOM
Oakham Town Council wishes to pass on its congratulations to all of the volunteers at Oakham in Bloom. At the recent awards ceremony, Oakham won Best Town in the East Midlands in Bloom Competition. Oakham scored 179 points out of a possible 200 and also received a coveted Gold Award.

Oakham was also entered into the Britain in Bloom awards in 2011 and received a Silver Gilt award.

ACCOUNTS 2010 - 2011
Oakham Town Council has received an "Unqualified " audit from its external auditors for the financial year 2010 - 2011. This means that the auditors found no causes for concern in the accounts or governance of the Council during this period.

Click here to view the Annual Return for Oakham Town Council for 2010 - 2011. A hard copy can also be supplied free of charge.

A copy of the Notice of Conclusion of the Audit can be viewed here.

GREEN FLAG STATUS FOR CUTTS CLOSE

Cutts Close Park in Oakham is one of the best in the country – and that’s official!
In July 2011, the Park  received the Green Flag Award, a sign to visitors that the park is well-maintained and well-managed, with excellent facilities.  A high-quality green space in the town
Cutts Close is one of a record number of parks and green spaces receiving the Green Flag Award this year, ensuring that even more of us now have access to well-managed, high-quality green spaces.
In 2011, 1,288 parks and green spaces will fly either the Green Flag or Community Award, a sign that the value of green space is widely acknowledged as vital to our communities. 

The Chairman of Oakham Town Council, Cllr Mrs Joyce Lucas is delighted that the park has been awarded Green Flag Status. She said, “This is great news for Oakham. The awarding of Green Flag status to the park is the culmination of a number of years of hard work and investment. We await the judges’ report to see where the Town Council can make further improvements to ensure that the park remains a safe and clean green space in the heart of the Town. On behalf of the Council I would like to thank my predecessor, Sharon Spencer, who started the process off last year and also the Assistant Clerk, Allison Greaves, for all her work in putting the management plan together”.

The award follows the submission of a comprehensive management plan for the park as well as an inspection by judges.

CO-OPTIONS
Oakham Town Council has recently co-opted five new members to the Council.
Mrs Jayne Woodcock of Harrington Way will represent Oakham South West
Mr Peter Lockett of Forth Close will represent Oakham South West
Mr Chris Hopkin of Ladywell will represent Oakham North East
Mr John Nowell of Beech Road will also represent Oakham North East
Dr Rob Guthrie of Catmose Park Road will represent Oakham South East

There are now 10 members on the Council, following the disqualification of Martin Brookes. There is one vacancy.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II FIELDS IN TRUST
Oakham Town Council has proposed that the area of open space between the housing estate and the Oakham by-pass to the east of the town should be nominated for the Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust initiative.

NEW DEVELOPMENT AT FORMER VALE OF CATMOSE COLLEGE SITE
The Council has proposed the following names for the new development:

Whole development - West Vale Park
Roads - John Clare Close
               Coleridge Way

The Council felt that the names of the new roads should have some educational significance given the former use of the site and its proximity to the new Catmose College. The theme of poets was decided on and John Clare also has significant local connections.

NEW CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN ELECTED
At its Annual Meeting held on Wednesday 18th May, Cllr Mrs Joyce Lucas was elected Chairman for the forthcoming municipal year.
Cllr Mrs Lucas has chosen the Royal British Legion, Oakham Branch  as her charity for the year.
Cllr Charles Haworth was elected as Vice Chairman

SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS FOR THE FORTHCOMING YEAR
Please click here to view the schedule of meetings for the forthcoming municipal year which runs from May - May

NEW BENCHES IN CUTTS CLOSE
Six new benches have now been installed adjacent to the Toddlers' Play Area in Cutts Close. The benches are cast iron with wooden slats. and  replace the concrete and wood benches that were sited there. There are no further plans to upgrade any of the other benches in the park.
 

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE
Oakham Town Council has awarded the contract for its grounds maintenance for the period April 1st 2011 - March 31st 2013 to Cory Environmental.
Cory Environmental will now be responsible for the grounds  maintenance in Cutts Close, Royces playing field, Willow Crescent play area and All Saints Churchyard.
Cory will be taking over from Vale Contract Services who have had the contract for the last three years.
The Council would like to inform members of the public that the value of this contract exceeds £10000.

OAKHAM TOWN COUNCIL BUDGET
2011 - 2012
At the meeting held on January 12th 2011, members of the Town Council approved a budget of £209690 for the 2011 - 2012 financial year.
This equates to an average amount of £52.13 for each household in Oakham and forms just one part of the overall Council Tax demand from Rutland County Council.
The amount in 2010 - 2011 was £52.14 per household.
Please click here to see the approved budget.

The final decision on the application will be made by Rutland County Council in due course

LOO OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Town Council has been informed that the Public Toilets in the Church Street Car Park have been awarded a four star rating for 2011. The Council is responsible for the management and maintenance of the facility. The toilets are free to use and are open from 8.00am to 6.00pm daily. A facility for disabled users is accessible by a RADAR key and includes a hoist, full size changing bench and a shower.

ALL SAINTS CHURCHYARD
The Council has installed three bollards at the entrance to Old School to prevent unauthorised parking in the area. Early indications are that the bollards are proving extremely effective.
Access to the area for maintenance and servicing will still be permitted
Considerable damage was done to the area as a result of vehicles parking there in the winter of 2009 and the Council is keen that further damage is not caused.