Following the resignation of former Cllr Ian Razzell, Raymond Payne was elected as the new Oakham South Rutland County Councillor on the 17th of June 2022.

Cllr Ray Payne is a Liberal Democrat and was elected without a vote, since he ran uncontested.

Now, Cllr Payne has spoken to Oakham Nub News, sharing his hopes and ambitions for Rutland.

Cllr Payne said: "As a Liberal Democrat you will not be surprised to learn that I believe in individual freedom, personal liberty community spirit and equal opportunity for all, regardless of creed gender, ethnicity, disability or any other personal circumstances.

"I know this sounds a bit like mom and apple pie, but we have all seen what happens if people with no beliefs or principles get elected. I simply want to be the best representative of the residents of Oakham South that I can be. I know that I will make mistakes but I hope that they will be honest ones.

"I suppose the truth is that I became so disgusted at the state of our political debate and the sense of drift and lack of honesty that I felt that I could not go on shouting at the tv and had to try and do something. No matter how small. To help put things back on a more even keel."

Councillor Raymond Payne has a great deal of experience working with the youth of the community (image courtesy of RCC)

Having worked as a teacher for many years, spending the latter part of his career working with children and young adults with Special Educational Needs, Raymond has a keen interest in improving the provisions for these groups, while maintaining Rutland's countryside ethos.

Raymond added: "I have a number of topics that exercise me, these are, in no particular order: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Homelessness (especially amongst Care leavers and Ex Service personnel), Affordable Housing, Conservation, Climate change, Mental Health. Finally, I really like this little county and I do not want to see it spoilt by inappropriate development."

Raymond also enjoys the events hosted by our little but lively community, and can be seen at a range of local events: "I like the community cinema held at the museum and the Rutland Show, which I was really disappointed to miss this year. I thought Pride was a wonderfully joyous experience, even ended up in the parade, not sure how but who cares!

"I also enjoy visiting the various artisan markets that exist in the county, not that it does my waistline any good."

He can also be found at larger, sporting events, and is a passionate rugby follower: "I am a keen Rugby Union supporter, not just England, but also of Premiership Rugby. I had the pleasure of watching the Tigers beat my team with a last minute drop goal at Twickenham in the last final. I also enjoy reading and traveling. I am a keen re enactor my speciality turn being a WW2 Air Raid Warden I  also enjoy Steam Punk events."

Ray is an advocate for Rutland and all it has to offer, praising the friendliness of the people and encouraging visitors: "Rutland is known as the county of good taste, due to its variety of country pubs, restaurants and quality food outlets. It is as pretty as the Cotswolds but set in a central location in England which makes it easy to travel to any other part of the country. It is also known for its friendliness."

Residents are likely to bump into Ray in and around Oakham, but for those wondering how they can get in touch with Ray, his contact details can be found on the Rutland County Council website.

Alternatively, Rutland Liberal Democrats can be found on Facebook.

For those who prefer face to face contact, Ray will be setting up a monthly surgery from September along with Jo Burrows and Paul Browne. He will also be putting out "regular old fashioned leaflets - you know we love our leaflets!"

Raymond concluded: "At the risk of sounding trite the best thing about being a local councillor is meeting a lot of genuine, friendly and concerned people.

"I am looking forward to working with like minded people, from across the political spectrum, to make the best decisions possible for all of us here in Rutland."

It would be fair to say that Cllr Raymond Payne is keen for people to get in touch and is looking forward to hearing from the Oakham residents, making their voices heard on Rutland County Council.