FOLLOWING the recent meeting of the Save Our Hospital Service’s group in Holsworthy’s Memorial Hall on Wednesday, January 25, Bideford Town Council has asked whether the council would be interested in donating money to the group’s cause, writes Zoë Uglow.

During the full council meeting of the Holsworthy Town Council, it was discussed whether the council would like to, and whether it was able to, make a donation of this type.

The correspondence was made after Bideford town councillor for the South Ward, Cllr D Brenton, put forward a motion at the Bideford Town Council meeting on December 15, 2016, for Bideford town council to make a donation to the SOHS campaign.

He submitted the following motion: ‘Bideford Town Council make a fighting fund contribution of £3,000 to the SOHS.’

The motion was supported, subject to other councils indicating similar resolve.

Town clerk Vanessa Saunders, said: “A request has been made by Bideford Town Council, subject to other councils indicating similar resolve, for donations to be made to SOHS to employ a barrister and for other payments which would need to be justified.

“We have no budget for it, nothing left over for such donations, but it is up to you [the council] if you want to look into it or not.”

The council was at first skeptical of how much they would be expected to donate to the cause.

Ms Saunders said: “They haven’t indicated how much they want from council’s like us, only that they are donating £3,000 to SOHS.”

The councillors began discussing options of whether this proposal was viable. Mayor Jon Hutchings explained SOHS’s plans to get the public involved with an event which would see a ‘red line’ created around local and district hospitals.

Cllr Hutchings said he would ‘like Holsworthy to get involved’, and suggested they could link a red line event of their own into their donation to SOHS, he said: “What we donate will go to SOHS as a whole fund. My proposal is that we set aside £500, if we can, and hold on to whatever we need to make a red line event happen in Holsworthy — where we get people to surround our local community hospital all wearing red to make a statement that we will defend our hospitals.

“If we do hold the red line event then we can take money out of that £500 set aside and give the excess to SOHS.”

Adding to the idea, Cllr Colin Punter suggested: “A collection could be made on the day of the red line event and any extra money we raise can be added to what we give SOHS.”

Cllr Hutchings agreed this was a good idea as it is ‘something quite highly thought of in town as was evident at the meeting and I’m sure people would want to contribute’.

Cllr Helen Taylor raised her concerns with the red line event and donation to SOHS, she said: “Will that save our community hospital?”

In response Cllr Hutchings said: “The red line is just to make a statement, our hospital is not under review, yet! We obviously cannot afford to donate as much as other councils, for example the larger ones like Bideford, but I think it is important we help show our support to both the red line and SOHS and show that we want to keep our local and district hospitals!”

Ms Saunders said that the council has some money left in its ‘general fund’ however she added: “I would only be cautious to set some aside because we don’t have the Manor Office move money in yet.”

Concerns were raised by deputy mayor Pat Smith over having to make such an abrupt decision, she said: “Can we defer this till either the next full council meeting or take it over to F&GP [Finance and General Purposes]?

“This has just been brought to the table and I feel I am being made to make a decision on something I don’t know much about! I am not saying no to making the donation, I just think it should go through the proper financial system first.”

The council agreed to take the matter to the next Finance and General Purposes committee meeting.