Archived Minutes 2016

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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Held: Thursday 27th October 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

The first task was to appoint a Chairman for the coming year, who would then go on to Chair the remainder of the AGM and supervise the appointment of the other officers.

Chairman:

Proposed: Alistair Robertson (by Dorothy Dolby)
Seconded by Rob Berry

Proposed: Lee Hariss (by Alan Breeze)
Seconded by Colin Race

Vote tied 3 - 3 and Chairmans casting vote elected Lee Hariss as Chairman

A vote of thanks and a sustained round of applause was given to our outgoing Chairman Alistair Robertson for the years of sterling service he has provided as our Chairman, where he went well beyond the brief of Chairman and inspiring others around him.

Vice Chairman:

Proposed:  Alistair Robertson (by Rob Berry)
Seconded by Lee Hariss

Unamimously elected without opposition

Secretary:

Proposed: Alan Breeze (by Dorothy Dolby)
Seconded by Betty Hopson

Unamimously elected without opposition

Treasurer:

Proposed: Betty Hopson (by Dorothy Dolby)
Seconded by Colin Race

Unamimously elected without opposition

Membership Secretary:

It was proposed that Lee Hariss continue in this position till a suitable candidte is found at a future date.

Committee Members:

Dorothy Dolby, Rob Berry and John Brigstock were co-opted on to the executive committee without opposition.

The Meeting closed and it was resolved that the next AGM will be held October 2017

 

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 29th September 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair: Dorothy Dolby

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris (Apologies for Absence)

Regional Organiser: Gordon Parkin

Attendees: Margaret Dennison; Cheryl Dennison; John Brigstock

Apologies: Rob Berry, Jim Hargrave, Irene Hargrave, Colin Race (Councillor)

The meeting accepted the previous minutes as a true record of events unanimously.

There were no matters arising from Previous Minutes.

Any Other Business:

Our Regional Organiser Gordon Parkin, asked if there were any volunteers available to assisit in Canvassing for the forthcoming Hartlepool By Election and some interest was expressed by Cheryl and Margaret Dennison.

Gordon also explained to the meeting the ruling on past members in that members whose membership has lapsed by three months or more were eligible for a reduced fee rejoin fee, all of which could be secured for the local branch. It was resolved that our membership secretary Lee Harris on his return should pursue this as a priority.

Guest Speaker: Colin Moran

Further to the minute in the last meeting we were lucky to be able to secure the services of top speaker Colin Moran and the Chjairman expressed his disappointment at the poor attendence despite local press advertising and requests for Facebook publicity.

However the meeting were priveleged to receive a top class presentation from Colin, who originally rose to fame through the "Metric Martyrs" case in 2004 which went viral in the UK and engaged all the mainstream media at the time. Colin explained how this simple point of Law opened a huge can of EU worms to him and led to his ongoing none partisan campaigns against the EU from that day to present. Colin is well respected by many top names in UKIP including Nigel himself and claims that he inspired the choice of "Independence Day" as a major winning slogan in the June referendum.

Colin urged everyone to follow his example in campaigning and helped by giving examples of imaginative stunts that have been very effective in getting messages across including the procurement of a huge inflatable white elephant to provide a photo opportunity and a visual tag for one of his campaigns. Colin also stressed that Party approaches to the media were too essily brushed aside whereas regular "members of the public" with no political affiliation were much more welcome to local and national media and more likely to be featured.

Colin was thanked profusely for his inspiring presentation by the committee.

Next Meeting:  The next meeting will take place on Thursday October 27th 2016 and will be the Annual General Meeting

 

 

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 25th August 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair: Dorothy Dolby (apologies for absence)

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris

Regional Organiser: Gordon Parkin (apologies for absence)

Attendees:Rob Berry; Councillor - Colin Race; Councillor - Dave Fleming; Councillor - Nigel Bryson; Councillor - Michail Sidd; Councillor - Lee Brownson; Margaret Dennison; Cheryl Dennison; Robert Batie + 4 others not recorded on sheet.

Apologies:

The meeting accepted the previous minutes as a true record of events unanimously.

The meeting welcomed the delegation from Bishop Auckland Council consisting of four Labour members to the meeting and it was pleasing to see several other new people at the meeting as well.

Matters Arising from Previous Minutes

The secretary explained that we had hoped to secure a big name guest speaker to this meeting but because of Jonathan Arnott withdrawing from the Party Leadership Contest and Phil Broughton having other business on the night then we were left with a normal monthly meeting and apologies were given for anyone disappointed at these major figures not attending.

The need for a Fund Raising Manager was deferred to a future meeting when all of our main committe were available.

The theme for the nights meeting was agreed as "Brexit what Next" and it was thrown open to the floor to ask questions about life after the momentous referendum to Leave the EU.

The Labour delegation expressed their view through their principal speaker Nigel Bryson that despite them voting to Remain they accepted the decision of the people and the main task now was to secure the very best deal with the EU. They also gave the impression that they were not aligned with the current views of Labour's Owen Smith that a 2nd Referendum should be pursued.

Mr Fleming (Labour Councillor) asked the meeting "What is UKIP's position regarding Energy Policy" and a response was given that none of the prime sources of Energy were ruled out for the future but each must compete on their own merits regarding value to the country as it is appreciated that in time technologies change and costs change so that things which are currently uneconomical may become economically viable in the future. The various energy sources were briefly discussed along with the benefits and drawbacks.

Mr Fleming also questioned the future of UKIP having completed their primary aim of achieving Brexit and was informed that the exact direction would be determined by our new leader when elected but there is definitely a drive to represent the working man as opposed to International Conglomerates and to expand our influence by looking for influence at local and county and national government levels.

A new meeting attendee who unfortunately didn't sign the sheet made a point that under the EU umbrella he believed that the UK had been given a role as a none productive, services area with limited opportunity of creating wealth for the nation and this lead to a lengthy debate which highlighted the fact that the UK were vulnerable to the whims of huge multi national companies who had global choices for siting their manufacturing operations. Credit was given to local company EBAC who had held their own against international competition and were still expanding production of Water Coolers, Dehumidifiers and refrigeration products for worldwide use.

Our secretary thanked everyone for the lively debate on the night which was enhanced by the presence of the four Labour Councillors and with no other business the meeting was closed.

The next meeting will feature a guest speaker to add to the inevitable discussion relating to the new Party Leader who will be in place by that time and it was confirmed that it will take place on Thursday 29th September at 7:15pm in "The Manor" pub Henknowle.

 

Matters Arising from previous Minutes:

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 28th July 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair: Dorothy Dolby

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris

Regional Organiser: Gordon Parkin (apologies for absence)

Attendees:Rob Berry; Ivan Marazzi

Apologies: Councillor - Colin Race; John Brigstock

The meeting accepted the previous minutes as a true record of events unanimously

Matters Arising from previous Minutes:

Further to Lee Harris being nominated as our prime Constituency candidate at this stage, Lee reported that he has now paid his £50 and has been invited to take part in the Induction and Screening process to qualify him for standing as a Prospective Parkiamentary Candidate. No word has been received on the other names forwarded for consideration which was a little disappointing considering that our branch had been asked to provide as many potential candidates as possible to enable constituencies without a UKIP branch to be covered in the event of a snap election.

Any Other Business

Lee Harris urged people to join the "Faithful Durham" organisation to help save the DLI and other Durham concerns in the face of Durham County Council plans.

Alistair our Chairman confirmed that he had corresponded with Jonathan Arnott#s office with a view to a) giving him a platform to further his Leadership aspirations, b) to bring a big name to help boost local membership and c) to help our fundraising.  However to date we have had no response and Alistair promised to chase his office for a definitive outcome.

It was noted that there was a disappointing turnout to the meeting and ideas were bounced around regarding improving attendance and towards this end Ivan suggested that we use local press to advertise our meetings and events. Lee pointed out the political problems in achieving this but Alan Breeze suggested that he may have inadvertently opened a new link to local free press through his football contacts and promised to further this initial contact with a view to publicising future events. In addition Lee suggested that Facebook paid campaigns were very cost effective and said that for less than £20 we could target our local area to advertise our meetings, aspecially if we were to procure a big name to our meeting such as Jonathan Arnott.

Lee Harris promiosed to gently remind Johnathan Arnott through Gordon our Regional Organiser that we were still not in receipt of our £100 starting fund.

In preperation for a big meeting involving many new potential members, Alan Breeze promised to provide New Membership Forms priced at £10 first year membership, so that they may be available to all at the meeting set out on the tables.

The meeting briefly discussed the need for a Fund Raising Manager as part of the Committee and this decision was deferred to future meeting.

The DCC elections next May were discussed and it was agreed that a copy of the election rules be obtained in order that we maximise our effect at the elections. At present it is proposed that Lee stands in the West Auckland area and Colin Race in the Woodhouse area but other candidates were required so that we have maximum coverage in all areas.

With no other business to discuss our Chairman declared the meeting closed and confirmed the next meeting will take place at Th Manor Pub Henknowle on Thursday 25th August (last Thursday in month as usual) starting at 7:15pm

 

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 30th June 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair: Dorothy Dolby

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris

Regional Organiser: Gordon Parkin (apologies for absence)

Councillor - Colin Race; Barry McCartan; John Rolfe; John Brigstock; Ernie Smith; John Rolfe

The meeting accepted the previous minutes as a true record of events proposed Lee Harris, seconded Colin Race - Unanimous

Matters Arising from previous Minutes:

The only matter arising from the previous minutes was that a toast was proposed by our Secreatary to our illustrious Party Leader  Nigel Farage whose relentless mission over the last 17 years had lead to the UK being transformed by the National Referendum deciding to Leave the European Union. In Addition it was also proposed that we toast and give thanks to all the members efforts in campaigning and leafleting over the last four months with particular thanks being given to Cheryl and Margaret Dennisone for their unrelenting efforts both in campaigning at every single event in addition to the many thousands of leaflets that they had posted through letterboxes.

Our Chairman brought to the attention of the meeting communication from our Regional Organiser Gordon Parkin who relayed the message from Head Office that we must prepare lists of Prospective Parliamentary Candidates to cover the possibility that the Government calls a snap General Election. In addition our Chairman relayed to the meeting the wishes of our previous Parliamentarty Candidate Rhys Burriss to be added to the PPC list.

After discussions within the meeting it was proposed that Lee Harris is submitted as the prime Parliamentary Candidate for the Bishop Auckland Constituency with other members willing to put their names forward for consideration either locally or in other seats within the North of England. The meeting was very appreciative of Rhys for his campaign at the last General Election for the Bishop Auckland Constituency but felt that in future he would be much better suited to fighting for UKIP in Central Durham where he resides, but as requested he is to be added to our branch list.

Our secretary explained to the meeting that individual PPCs would be expected to pay a none returnable £50 vetting fee to UKIP and if selected and appointed would be expected to pay the £500 deposit for the nomination which is returnable after achieving 5% of the votes. The other significant expense in excess of £1,000 would be the expense of the mail shot to all addresses in the Constituency in the campaigning period at the election.

Having taken heed of the above a voluntary list of PPCs from the Bishop Auckland Branch are as follows:-

Rhys Burrows

Lee Harris

Colin Race

Alan Breeze

John Brigstock

In addition our Secretary said that he had left a message with Liz Laidler from Rookhope within the North West Durham Constituency to sound out her intentions in this respect.

Our secretary pointed out that other than there being an early General Election, the next focus for our branch must be the Durham County Council elections next May.

There being no other particular points to discuss in the general meeting our Chairman declared the meeting closed allowing for informal discussions to take place within the meeting reflecting recent events.

It was agreed that the next Branch Meeting will take place on Thursday 28th July at 7:15pm at "The Manor" pub, Henknowle, Bishop Auckland.

 

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 26th May 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair: Dorothy Dolby

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris

Regional Organiser: Gordon Parkin (apologies for absence)

Present:Cheryl Dennison; Margaret Dennison; James McPherson;Councillor - Colin Race; Barry McCartan; Julie Ross; Maureen Ross; John Rolfe

Apologies: Rob Berry (Working on Kynren)

The meeting accepted the previous minutes as a true record of events.

Matters Arising from previous Minutes:

Closing on Referendum Day it was agreed we should maximise our campaigning efforts to counterbalance the local Labour message to Remain in the EU and the Secretary confirmed that we were now in receipt of official "Vote Leave" literature and displays to display at any events that we run.

It was agreed that we hold events in the near future in local Constituency Towns and provide support to other events in the North East, although Alistair confirmed that we had been requested not to take part in a weekend event in Spennymoor by the organising local Church there and it was agreed we respect their wishes. It was reported that the Shildon / South Church large Car Boot Sale was starting again and would be a suitable place with a large footfall and it was agreed we arrange for the following Friday. In addition it was pointed out that the Monthly Saturday Farmers Market in Barny was imminent on 4th June and it was agreed we make a presence there. Our Secretary reported that we had been contacted by Liz Laidler a UKIP supporter organising the "Vote Leave" campaign in West Durham who had suggested a reciprocal arrangement whereby we help at a major Newcastle Rally and in turn they would help if we could organise an event in Bishop Auckland. The meeting agreed it was a good idea to pursue this course of events and it was suggested that the greatest weekend footfall area was on the St Helens Retail Park, though there was uncertainty as to aquiring the necessary permissions.

Rob Berry reported that he had received a considerable amount of literature relating to the Leave campaign which is additional to the batch received through our Secretary and the meeting agreed that Rob should take charge of allocation of leafleting areas forthwith. Rob arranged for the people present at the meeting to cover designated areas ensuring that there were no overlaps with areas recently covered. In Addition the secretary agreed to erect large Corriboard "Vote Leave" displays in a promionent position on the main A68 route to Bishop Auckland to supplement our presence at the events.

In the light of the increasing activity coming up to the Referendum it was agreed that we hold an interim meeting on Wednesday 8th June at "The Manor" and our Secretary made the necessary arrangements with the Landlord Phil.

It was also reported that there was to be a debate in Spennymoor Town Hall on Thursday 9th June where both sides of the Referendum arguments were to be debated.

It was confirmed that after the Interim Meeting the next formal Meeting would take place the last Thursday of June (30th) at "The Manor" pub in Henknowle by which time we would either be celebrating or commiserating after the Referendum result.

With no other business to discuss our Chairman declared the meeting closed.

 

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 28th April 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair: Dorothy Dolby (apologies for absence)

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris (apologies for absence)

Regional Organiser: Gordon Parkin (apologies for absence)

Present:Cheryl Dennison; Margaret Dennison; James McPherson; John Brigstock; Barry Mccartan

Apologies: Rob Berry

The meeting accepted the previous minutes as a true record of events.

Matters Arising from previous Minutes:

Our treasurer reported that we have £166.80 in the Bank which would be swelled by a further £10 voluntary donations collected on the night.

Further to the initial Barnard Castle Grassroots Out event we held a further successful day in Barnard Castle which is highlighted on the News area of our website

This lead to discussion regarding future events and it was mentioned that there was a significant event ion Spennymoor organised by the Church on Saturday 21st May, Alistair our chairman said he would check the feasibility of setting up our stall as part of that event. [Latest information beyond meeting is that discussions with the Church revealed the position that the Church were strongly against their event being politicised and it was therefore decided not to cause upset and alienation by attending]

It was felt that we should hold another Grassroots Out / Leave event in all four of the major towns in out constituency (Bishop, Barny, Spenny and Shildon) prior to the 23rd June and that the ideal time would be in the four weeks between our meeting on the 26th May and "Independence Day". The venues for the four events are likely to be  Bishop Auckland - Outside Yorkshire Bank; Barny Castle - Market Place; Shildon - Friday Car Boot event; Spennymoor to be confirmed.  Towards this end it was proposed that we email all Constituency Members and Supporters to ascertain level of support from each individual so that we can also organise leaflet drops in the two weeks before "Independence Day". This will be actioned by our secretary.

It was proposed that "Vote Leave" be contacted again to acquire leaflets, car stickers, T Shirts plus any other promotional items.

The meeting requested that pre- advice of the next meeting should be given twice before the next meeting, one week before and a couple of days before and the secretary agreed to action this.

It was agreed that the next meeting will take place at The Manor pub Henknowle Estate on Thursday 26th May 2016 starting at 7:15pm.

With no other business to discuss our Chairman declared the meeting closed.

 

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 31st March 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair:

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris

Regional Organiser: Gordon Parkin

Present:Cheryll Dennison; Margaret Dennison; Friend of Margaret;

Apologies: Dorothy Dolby; Rob Berry

The meeting accepted the previous minutes as a true record of events.

Our Treasurer outlined to the meeting the amount of Credit we had in our Account and asked those present for the normal monthly donation.

Our Secretary reported that despite the inclement weather, the event on Saturday 5th March where we hired the Stockton Branch Gazebo and also used alongside the Grassroots Out supplied Livery and Literature on display, went well.

Thanks were agreed in Order for the efforts of Jim and Irene Hargrave who spent a considerable amount of time leafleting the area around the Market Place on previous days to the 5th March and also to Colin Race who funded the cost of the Market. Pictures were taken at the event which were posted on our Twitter and Facebook Accounts and a hundred or so leaflets were distributed on the day.

We were also able to report that the first Barnard Castle Wednesday Market event was also held with very encouraging feedback both from people that engaged with our stall and also participants of our Ballot Box which gave a significant majority (approx 70% to 30%) in favour of leaving the EU. We arranged with the Clerk of the Council that we would return every second Wednesday leading up to the Referendum (weather permitting) but he made it clear that we would have to submit our Insurance Public Liability Certificate the next time we arrived.

Lee Harris reported that the Aclet pub would be reopening as a pub but was concerned that it was still under threat long term.

With regard to further Referendum Campaigning it was felt that we should wait for the judgement of the Electoral Commision to have a better idea of the way forward with the Campaign. Lee Harris announced that he had been interviewed as the Grassroouts Out Regional Organiser for the North West of England and was confident that he would secure the post.

With no further business the meeting closed with notice that the next meeting would take place on the last Thursday in April (28th) at the Manor Pub, Henknowle, starting at 7:15pm.

 

 

 

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 25th Feb 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair:

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris

Regional Organiser: Gordon Parkin

Present: Rob Berry; Cheryll Dennison; Margaret Dennison;
James Hargrave; Irene Hargrave; Ernie Smith;

Apologies: Dorothy Dolby; Rob Berry

The meeting accepted the previous minutes as a true record of events.

Our Treasurer outlined to the meeting the amount of Credit we had in our Account and asked those present for the normal monthly donation.

Subsequent to a request from the last meeting our secretary brought along print copies of the last meeting for peoples reference on the night and promised that this would be done for future meetings.

The meeting welcomed Gordon Parkin our Regional Organiser especially in light of his recent illness and then went on to discuss matters arising from the previous minutes starting with rearrangements of our Bishop Market Place display event. Gordon confirmed that the UKIP emblazoned Gazebo was available for our previously requested date of 5th March and promised to attend to help us with the event on the day. This was despite Grassroots Out organising the very same day as an Action Day throughout the country whic pre meeting was a concern that there may be a clash. As discussed previously it was expected that we should leaflet in the immediate area of the Market Place to inform people of our event and Lee Harriss confirmed that he had detailed street plans for this purpose but didn't have them to hand. It was agreed that the imminent arrival of GO leaflets meant that we would leaflet as soon as they arrived and include the note regarding our March 5th event. Jim and Irene Hargrave pledged their support in this task but were disappointed that everything was not already in place.

Lee Harris reported that our Facebook page was up and running and gaining followers and our secretary reminded everyone that we have a Twitter account under "UKIPBA" with approaching a thousand followers.

Any Other Business

Lee Harris provided an update of the current position regarding the last pub on Woodhouse Estate which is still closed and outlined attempted manoevering by DCC to circumvent the covenant stating that the building could only be used as a Public House for the benefit of the locality. Lee is soliciting support from the local press and will report on progress regarding the retention of this well known local pub.

Ernie Smith spent some time enlightening the meeting regarding the foundation and development of the EU project starting froma German Aristocrat by the name of Richard Kalergi (now deceased) whose legacy remains and whose name was given to the "Kalergi Prize" awarded to people contributing the most each year to achieving the ultimate integration of the European nations. Winners of this prize include from the UK, Winston Churchill, Roy Jenkins, Ted Heath and the pernicious Tony Blair. Ernie encouraged members to investigate independently this progression of events from Richard Kalergi's route map and gain a fuller understanding of our present predicament with the EU.

With no other business the next meeting was scheduled to take place on the last Thursday in March ( 31st ) at the Manor Pub Henknowle starting at 7:15pm.

 

 

Minutes of Meeting

Held: Thursday 28th Jan 2016

Location: Manor Pub - Henknowle

Chair: Alistair Robertson

Vice Chair: Dorothy Dolby

Treasurer: Betty Hopson

Secretary: Alan Breeze

Members Secretary: Lee Harris

Present: Cllr Colin Race; Rob Berry; Cheryll Dennison;
James Hargrave; Irene Hargrave; 2 members from Barnard Castle names to be confirmed.

Apologies: Gordon Parkin

The meeting had a small delay in start due to our Secretary being unable to access the Minutes online which turned out to be because our website having had a cyber attack resulting in the site having to be completely rebuilt from scratch. Our members were most unhappy about this state of affairs and unamnimously resolved that for future meetings hard copies of the previous minutes were to be made available.

A meeting before Christmas with Jonathan Arnott our MEP in pursuit of justice for the ongoing Tudhoe Grange cause attended by our Chairman and Secretary yielded a welcome offer from Jonathan to come and speak within our Constituency. Jonathan suggested that we agree a date with him and in the week before the meeting distribute leaflets the cost of which he offered to share the cost. The meeting felt this offer should be accepted and thought given to a suitable venue and date to be confirmed at our next meeting.

Our Secretary explained in detail the circumstances resulting in the cancellation of our Bishop Market place display before Xmas and it was felt that a new date shoule be set for our Market Place Display and Recruitment Day at Bishop Auckland Market Place. After discussion it was agreed that Saturday 5th March was the best date and Lee Harris promised to check with our regional organiser Gordon Parkin regarding the availability  of the UKIP Gazebo for that date. It was felt that if we were to Leaflet for this event then we should combine the drop with a second leaflet or card, the cost and content of which is to be discussed with the managing committee prior to purchase.

Opinion was sought regarding the leaflets that had been dropping through everyones doors regarding a change to a North East Mayoral system but it was generally agreed that this smacked of a divide and conquer approach with Europe looming in the background with their agenda of eventually removing all National borders per se and having manageable population units throughout Europe. Members were therefore advised to vote against appointing a North East Mayor.

The meeting went on to discuss how we could use Social Media to spread information voters need to make up their minds at the time of the In Out Referendum. Our Secretary pointed out that we have a Twitter page with several hundred followers but lacked a Facebook presence. Lee Harris promised that he would create a Bishop Auckland Constituency Facebook page as a matter of urgency and all members are encouraged to join in the conversation whenever they log in to their Facebook accounts.

Lee Harris our Membership Secretary explained that he attanded a meeting about the future of Bishop Auckland Hospital which was also attended by Helen Goodman the Labour MP for our area. Lee pointed out that the Private Finance Initiative scheme under which the Hospital had been procured meant that a Hospital cosing £67M to build results in a bill of £270M to the taxpayer over 25 or so years. Lee explained the irony of Helen Goodman campaigning to keep the Hospital open when it was under her watch that the cumulation of events leading to the current position took place. Lee is passing information to the Northern Echo for publication on this matter, but there was no certainty of publication. However, our new member from Barnard Castle who has retired from the medical profession explained that current finances make it impossible to retain the necessary skilled medical professionals to run a full Hospital service and he said that there were only two major Hospitals in the north East in Newcastle and Teesside that were able to provide a full service.

The meeting confirmed that the next meeting will take place on the last Thursday in February (25th February at the Manor Pub in Henknowle)