The Town Council concentrates solely on issues affecting Oakham and operates in the following ways:

• Land Management
• Representation and Partnership
• Lobbying and Consultation

The Town Council owns and manages Cutts Close, Royce Playing Field and land on Willow Crescent along with the three play areas involved. It also owns four areas of allotments, the Bowls and Tennis Club sites along with the adjoining car park and the Fitness Centre in Princess Avenue. The Town Council also maintains All Saints Churchyard.

Town Councillors represent the Town Council on over twenty local groups and organisations. Great emphasis is placed on working in partnership with these and other organisations to protect and promote the town’s interests. Working with the County Council and organisations such as the Oakham Town Partnership and the Chamber of Trade on tourism, promotion and economic issues is an important part of the Council’s work.

In addition to its role in making observations on all Planning Applications involving development in Oakham, the Town Council also lobbies and makes representations to the County Council and other organisations on a variety of subjects.

Oakham Town Council, along with all other town and parish councils has a specific role to play in Local Government.

Town and Parish Councils are the closest level of Local Government to the people and as such can involve themselves to a greater level with the community as a whole than higher tiers in the Local Government structure.

The Town Council is strictly governed by legislation and must demonstrate annually in its accounts that it is being run properly. The Annual Return is not just about making the books balance. It is a thorough examination of the workings of the Town Council. An internal auditor also makes regular inspections to ensure that both procedures and Best Practice are being adhered to.

The Town Council has specific responsibilities to the Town of Oakham. It has no role to play in other Parishes or Towns. However, there are a large number of areas that are not the responsibility of Oakham Town Council; highways maintenance, street cleaning, maintenance of Oakham cemetery and the registering of a birth or death for example are all part of the responsibilities of Rutland County Council.

In law the Town Council is an “it”- this means it is a single corporate body and the decisions that it takes are the responsibility of the Council as a whole. It represents and serves the entire community and has the sometimes difficult task of balancing the needs of different elements within the community. 

Oakham Town Council is committed to increasing public involvement in its activities.  The Town Council welcomes any input from members of the public who may have suggestions, concerns or information that can be used to further improve the quality of service that the Town Council provides. The relocation of the Town Council offices to the Victoria Hall was part of the process as it is hoped that given its easily accessible location members of the public will feel more able to come in and voice any issues they may have. Meetings  now include an allotted time for public participation and again it is the intention of the Town Council that members of the public will use this as a forum for their views. 

Much information will be provided through this web site but under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 members of the public are entitled to ask for many other types of information and these will be provided on request in a variety of formats as required..

Ultimately Oakham Town Council is there to serve the people of Oakham and through the increased involvement of individuals and organisations we can continue to ensure the vitality and viability of our community.
 

  How does the Town Council operate?

Oakham Town Council employs a Full Time Clerk  and an Assistant Clerk who are the only members of staff. All non-office work is carried out by contractors. 

The Town Council’s policies and major decisions are dealt with at monthly Council Meetings. Extra meetings of the Council do occasionally take place if items of business warrant it. The Council also has three Committees that meet to consider other issues. These are the Planning and General Purposes Committee, the Parks and Recreation Committee and the Staffing Committee. For the schedule of Council and Committee meetings for 2010 - 2011 click here

Planning and General Purposes Committee
This meets monthly and consists of all members of the Council. It has delegated authority to make observations and recommendations on Planning Applications as well as spending money up to amounts allocated to it in the agreed budget.

Parks and Recreation Committee
This meets monthly and again consists of all members of the Council. The Committee has delegated authority to deal with issues relating to the open spaces that the Council is responsible for as well as spending money allocated to it in the budget. The Committee may also make recommendations to the Council on such issues as it sees fit and these are considered by the Council prior to a decision being made.

Staffing Committee
This consists of the following members of the Council: Cllrs Alf Dewis (Chairman), Mrs Maureen Dodds (Vice Chairman), Mrs Sharon Spencer, Mark Woodcock and Alan Walters. This Committee meets bi-monthly, and deals solely with issues relating to the employed staff. It can only make recommendations to the Council for further consideration.

The public and press are welcome to attend these meetings and as well as a published schedule that is permanently posted in Notice boards around the Town, a Public Notice of a Meeting is posted at least three working days before the meeting along with the Agenda. The Town Council is committed to increasing public participation at these meetings and an allotted time has now been set for members of the public to address the meetings.

In addition working groups are set up as required to gather information and report on more specific issues.

 Who are the Councillors?

Oakham is split into four wards; Oakham North East is bordered by the railway line to the west, South Street, Mill Street and Burley Road to the town boundary just beyond the Co-op Superstore; Oakham South East is to the South of this; Oakham North West has the railway line as its eastern boundary and is divided from Oakham South West by Braunston Road. Each of these wards has three Town Councillors. These are elected for a four year term of office and the last elections took place in May 2007. The position of a Town Councillor is a voluntary one and current Members come from a variety of backgrounds. The Town Council has the power to co-opt members if Councillors leave office during their term.  To see the list of Councillors for Oakham please click here.
Profiles of Oakham Town Councillors can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

Town Councillor Profiles

 What can they do?

The chief role of the Town Councillor is to represent the electorate. Members of the public are encouraged to talk to their Councillors first if they think something should be brought to the Town Council’s attention. The Council is seeking to improve its engagement with the Community through various means such as the Web Site, a  consultation on improvements to facilities. 

What is the Town Council not responsible for?

 Rutland County Council  is responsible for all major services throughout Rutland including Education, Social Services, Housing, Planning, Environmental Services and Community Development

 How much does the Town Council Spend?

 The Town Council will spend approximately £200K in 2010 - 2011. This money is raised through the precept demand, some bank interest and through income derived from the properties that it owns.

This money is the amount that the Town Council requires to continue its activities throughout the year.

The budget is available to view by clicking on the link below and is also featured in the leaflet accompanying the Council Tax demand that is posted to all residences in Rutland during March.

Budget 2010-2011