Local Referendum on Oakham One-Way Scheme

Rutland's historic county town of Oakham has been steadily declining as a market town over recent years and factors such as long-term roadworks have forced an even greater downturn in trade. Rutland County Council's Consultation Exercise received 952 responses of which 53% (501) were in favour of the one-way system and a further exercise covering only 5,500 properties had responses from just 1592 householders with only 47% (710) in favour. The estimated electorate of Rutland and close neighbouring areas is closer to forty-thousand and yet Rutland County Council proposes to proceed based on results taken from just a small proportion of local people.

Whilst nobody opposes investing in the regeneration of Oakham, many Rutland residents feel that the planned one-way system is an expensive waste of money that will hasten Oakham's decline as a traditional market town even further, therefore a full referendum of the Rutland Electorate should be carried out before the work is approved by Rutland County Council.