To consider the Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Marc Oxley and seconded by Councillor Ben Callaghan in accordance with Procedure Rule 34, the text of which can be found in the agenda pack.

The Notice of Motion submitted by Mr M Oxley in accordance with Procedure Rule 34 was received.

Mr Oxley introduced the motion and moved the recommendation below. Mr Bool seconded the recommendation.

That Rutland County Council supports the motion that Councillor Oliver Bird be offered the vacant seat on the Oakham Town Task and Finish Group following the resignation of Mr Richard Clifton from Rutland County Council.

During debate points raised included:

      i.        Mr Bird stated it was not his intention to de-rail the process and criticise the final report, which had been claimed by others. Mr Bird noted he had previously written praise in regards to the work that the Oakham Town Task and Finish Group had undertaken.

    ii.        It was questioned whether the Council had the authority to change the membership. Mr Horsfield, Monitoring Officer, confirmed that as the Council was the parent body, it could make the decision if members saw fit.

   iii.        Mrs Stephenson noted that with experience in task and finish groups since 2011, it was felt that coming into a task and finish group late into the process may not work despite potential valuable contributions Mr Bird may be able to bring to the group.

   iv.        There was concern that the motion involved party politics which the task and finish group was setup to be politically neutral. Mr Oxley denied that was the case, it was simply to help another member of the Independent Group.

    v.        A statement from Mr Callaghan, Chair of the Growth, Infrastructure and Resources Scrutiny Panel, was read by Mr Oxley which stated:

“There are number of compelling reasons why Councillor Bird should be on the task and finish group. Contrary to statements made, the process which is formulating the plans for Oakham Town Centre are far from over. In reality it falls in to two main parts: Gathering the evidence in which recommendations can be made, and then consulting, designing and implementing the desired plans. This is equally as important as the first part and requires experience and commitment, both of which are possessed and have been exhibited by Councillor Bird. There is one meeting left of the task and finish group, and at this meeting, one of the key tasks will be to agree, form and populate the groups that will carry the project through to its conclusion. Councillor Bird is ideal for this stage. There has been criticism that he has not been involved in the process, this is unfair and not quite true. He has kept himself updated throughout, reading all documentation emanating from the meetings. Councillor Bird was one of the founding members that initiated the cross party group that was the precursor to the group we see today. He was only not involved due to his conflict of interests and desire to allow Councillor Fox to be on it.”

RESOLVED

Council AGREED to support the motion that Councillor Bird be offered the vacant seat on the Oakham Town Task and Finish Group following the resignation of Mr Richard Clifton from Rutland County Council.

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In accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rule 11, paragraph 2 – Recording of Votes – Mr Conde requested that his abstention be recorded.

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