The mayor of a town council found to have 'significant underlying issues' has said a meeting with the county council was 'helpful'.  

A leaked report this autumn revealed the extent of the issues that have been ongoing at Oakham Town Council over the past 12 months. 

There had been infighting and numerous disputes as well as staff absence and councillors deciding to leave after just a few months of sitting on the council. In response and after receiving 12 conduct complaints, Rutland County Council (RCC) commissioned an independent report which recommended training in governance and that staff had a clear line of reporting and also a code of conduct. 

The council, which is currently chaired by Chris Nix, was invited to a meeting at Rutland County Council to discuss the issues and at the latest town council meeting, Cllr Nix gave an update on how things are progressing.  

He said: "We were overjoyed to attend a helpful conduct committee meeting with RCC. 

"They made some very useful observations about the way that we do things at OTC which we are looking to implement forthwith." 

The deputy chairperson of the county council's conduct committee, Cllr Andrew Brown (Ind), attended the meeting and observed proceedings. 

Clerk Chris Evans said he is going to start studying for the recognised Certificate in Local Government Administration in the new year and next month all councillors will have code of conduct training from the Leicestershire and Rutland Association of Local Councils (LRALC). 

Mr Evans said: "The chief executive of LRALC will come here and do a two-hour session on the code of conduct, which I think all of us here know is becoming an issue and we need all councillors to be trained up to acceptable behaviour, especially in public." 

The town council is currently in talks with Victoria Hall to take it over. However, plans for the council to move its officer there have pushed down the track and are unlikely to happen within the next six months. 

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READ MORE: Uncertainty about the future of Oakham's Victoria Hall to continue as key decision deferred

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