This morning, 30 January 2023, Rutland Council hosted a meeting to consult with the residents about the upcoming Annual Budget.

Starting at 10am, Rutland County Council hosted a Q&A style meeting for residents to share their thoughts and concerns about the Annual Budget 2023/24.

On their Facebook page, Rutland County Council faced criticism around the timing of this meeting, with residents suggesting that the meeting had been scheduled at an inconvenient time for those holding down 9-5 jobs.

One Facebook user commented: "Rutland County Council, please respond to all of these comments. Why are you holding a Q&A when all council tax payers are at work? Please come back with an alternative time that the residents of the county you purport to serve are able to attend."

Opening the meeting, Rutland County Council Leader, Lucy Stephenson, addressed concerns raised on social media that this meeting had been scheduled at an inconvenient time for Rutland residents working 9-5 hours.

Cllr Stephenson explained: "This is a part of our usual finance meeting and has been in the public domain since the 4 of January 2023."

Cllr Stephenson added that the Council will be hosting an additional public meeting next Monday in the evening that will be live streamed for those who cannot attend. This meeting will address the loss of Catmose Sports Centre and how decisions made when forming the 2023/24 draft budget resulted in the upcoming closure of the centre. 

Image courtesy of SLL.

Cllr Stephenson also asked the public to help Rutland County Council "set the agenda for this meeting," and provide an agenda of items to be addressed on Monday 6 February.

This meeting will take place on Monday 6 February at 7pm and is schedule to go on until 9pm, although Cllr Stephenson acknowledged that it may need to overrun due to the level of local interest. Attendees will need to vacate the Council offices by 10pm.

The meeting will take place at:

Rutland Council Chambers

Catmos Street

Oakham

LE15 6HP