Questions Mount Over "Digital Witch Hunt" Costs at Oakham Town Council

Questions Mount Over "Digital Witch Hunt" Costs at Town Council

A cloud of controversy has once again settled over Oakham Town Council following revelations of a a payment to a long-term IT contractor, allegedly aimed at unmasking a "whistleblower" within the council ranks.

Documents reveal that on March 13, 2026, the Council paid Millennium Computer Services for an investigation into the leak of a confidential email. The email in question originated from the Rutland County Council Monitoring Officer and reportedly detailed concerns regarding the "poor conduct" of the Town Council.

Despite the public expenditure, the results of this digital forensic search remain shrouded in mystery. 

Sources close to the council confirm that no formal report has been issued to members explaining:

What specific methods were used to track the leak.

Whether the investigation was successful in identifying a culprit.

The legal basis for monitoring internal communications to suppress a report on council conduct.

The recent invoice is just one of seven payments made to Millennium Computer Services over the last month, totaling £835.90.

For years, the relationship between the Council and the IT firm has been a point of friction during  meetings. Critics argue that the payment reports provided by the office and subsequently approved by the council frequently lack the "clear details" necessary for proper fiscal oversight.

The recent batch of payments also highlighted a surprising administrative charge. Included in the £835.90 total was a fee for a physical memory stick, used specifically to hand over CCTV footage to the police regarding an alleged burglary at the council officer by a former Councillor.

While the council is required to assist law enforcement, the decision to bill this through an external contractor rather than utilising standard office supplies has raised eyebrows and concerns have been voiced about "nickel-and-diming" the public purse.

Cllr Adam Lowe formally raised the need for a full review of the Millennium Computer Services contract is from the meeting held on January 12, 2022. This did not happen.

The request was detailed in Finance Report No. 2022/03, authored by Cllr Lowe and Cllr Orchard, titled "Awarding Contracts with Transparency".

The report expressed concerns regarding robust financial controls and transparency in public spending.

It noted an "overdue review" of several contracts, explicitly naming Millennium Computers alongside K&K Window Services and Lend a Hand.

Cllr Lowe emphasised that because Millennium Computer Services was responsible for "computer security and back-ups," a formal contract or agreement was a "crucial operational need".

He proposed that the Council ask the office to review ALL contracts and regular payees to clarify agreement details and expiry dates, suggesting this information be presented to the Full Council in a spreadsheet format. This also never happened.

an even earlier mention occurred in the minutes of June 8, 2016, where  Cllr Lowe was also present.

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