By Local Democracy Reporter
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Tensions reached a boiling point at last night’s Oakham Town Meeting as many residents packed the council chamber to voice their overwhelming opposition to the council’s current trajectory regarding The Vale. The site, a cornerstone of local recreation, serves as the long-term home for both the Oakham Bowls and Tennis Clubs, but its future has been cast into doubt following a contentious council vote to spend upwards of £25,000 on a feasibility study.
The meeting laid bare a deep divide within the council chamber itself. While the first phase of the project the feasibility study is public knowledge, the details of "Phase Two" have been suppressed under exempt status, leaving the public and even some councillors in the dark. Cllr Martin Brookes expressed visible frustration during the proceedings, stating that he was legally barred from answering residents' questions about the second phase due to confidentiality. However, Cllr Brookes revealed that when he and a colleague pressured Cllr Ainsley to disclose his true intentions for the site, the response was a plan for "development and housing" and the relocation of the clubs that could potentially net the council millions.
The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile as Cllr Brookes pushed back against suggestions from Cllr Ainsley that the public had been fed "misleading information." Pointing to the officially published minutes, Cllr Brookes maintained that he had been transparent with residents, emphasising that while no decisions have been made past the initial £25,000 study, he found the level of expenditure for such a project to be "extraordinary." The public gallery was equally scathing; one resident pointedly referenced the first three letters of the word "consultant" to express their skepticism, while a former Rutland County Councillor went as far as to demand Cllr Paul Ainsley’s resignation.
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Following the heated debate, Chris Nix, the Chairman of Oakham Town Council who had been absent from the previous council meeting, sought to adopt a more conciliatory tone. Speaking to Rob Persani of Rutland and Stamford Sound, he said: "I'm truly thankful for the amount of people that did turn up today and give their opinion. It's very clear that this is something truly important to the community and it would be absolutely remiss of us not to take this into absolute consideration. Yeah, as a result, we are certainly going to have a look at the possibilities of speaking in greater depth with both of the chairs of each of the clubs and seeing if there's a bit more of a positive and collaborative way to move forward, certainly rather than being dictated to. It makes sense for you to make sure that those buildings are in good order. It's by no means in anyone's interest for the council to be removing public services at this time or any time. And quite the opposite I'd like to think that we are fighting to keep these sort of things going. So yeah, I'm certainly hopeful that we can get a really positive outcome from today's meeting despite the huge ground swell of people raising concern. By no means is the council and I'm very much speaking for the council, but yes, I would like to think that the council has got no interest in removing any sporting facilities, any social facilities and community spaces by any means."
Cllr Nix also assured residents aa extra council meeting will be called and residents called attend and give their input when the council revisits its the matter.
However, the chairmen of the affected clubs remained wary, citing a total lack of prior consultation. Adrian Wilkinson, Chairman of the Oakham Bowling Club, noted that his members felt a "complete lack of courtesy" from the council. He told the media: "I joined the Oakham Bowling Club 5 years ago. Well, it was quite clear that the town council wanted to undertake a feasibility and redevelopment strategy which would quite clearly impact greatly on the bowling club and also the tennis club and more importantly as well the local residents and I think we were very impressed with the turnout and it was quite clear that everyone was in agreement that this was a development that the council were hoping to progress without true and proper consultation which quite clearly wasn't in the interests of the people of Oakham. I think that's very reassuring. I think it's absolutely essential. As I add around the beginning of the meeting, we were very disappointed that we were not even consulted and given that we've leased the ground area for many many years. I thought that and our members thought that was a complete lack of courtesy, I think it's reassuring that the council are now going to reconsider very seriously the whole situation and quite rightly so to for the interests of all."
Ed Carl, Chair of Oakham Tennis Club, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the massive demographic the clubs represent. "I've been a member for 10 years and the chair since August last year," he stated. "So I think for the tennis club we have over 300 members and I think on the bowls club have well over a hundred. So if you think about the size of a town like Oakham, that's a considerable slice of a population and then if you also add into that the benefits that tennis and bowls have in terms of well-being, in terms of exercise, in terms of the value for money it provides, it's a huge benefit that the town gets from both of these organisations. And yes, we are tenants, but I think we take our tenancy very, very seriously and we have a real sense of duty on behalf of our members. And I think it's been a huge cause of concern to the membership of the bowls club and the tennis club that the goodwill, the investment for both clubs in the local area seems to be almost second fiddle to what the council may look for from this feasibility study and we don't know what the destination is and I think that's the main cause for concern. We don't quite know where this is heading, but what we know is that we are committed to bowls and we are committed to tennis. And I think the strength of feeling tonight shows how important that is to everybody. I think that depending what the outcome of the study is and where this ends up, either way, whether it is a relocation or it is a commitment to the sites on the veil, either way, we need a commitment that whatever the facilities are for the people of Oakham, they are the very best that they can possibly be. I think that was both our prime directives from being here tonight, wasn't it? I think the communication that we've been talked about the possible further meeting and discussions between the clubs. I think there's going to be a very high level of scrutiny for that conversation and making sure that this is an issue where people get the outcome that they would like that benefits everybody."
As the town awaits the results of the initial study, the message from the community is clear: any attempt to trade green spaces and sporting heritage for housing will be met with fierce and organised resistance.
A full report and video of the Town Meeting to follow
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