THE town council has given up official responsibility for Barney's Poppy Appeal.
In April, Cllr Laura Drew tabled a motion to give the appeal to another group because of the burden it places on council staff and funds.
Her motion read: “The council greatly values the work of the Royal British Legion and supports the Poppy Appeal. However, being the administrator of the local poppy appeal takes up a vast amount of office time, at a financial cost to the council, and for up to a month the council is in effect working for the Royal British Legion.
“This subsidisation of a charity sadly cannot be sustained in the current climate. Would the council therefore consider handing over its role as local administrator for the Poppy Appeal to another more appropriate organisation?”
Town councillors have since discussed the proposal behind closed doors. Minutes of the annual town meeting held on May 15 reveal the council’s debate in closed session. The minutes read: “Following a full and frank discussion on the work involved on the administration of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal and a proposal was tabled: The Poppy Appeal for 2023 and onward is carried out in the spare time of the volunteers and not in council time.”
Six councillors were in favour and three abstained. No counter proposal was made. The minutes add: “It was agreed that the council would continue to support the poppy appeal in Barnard Castle and it would consider logistic support and storage if required to assist the volunteers.” A further behind-closed-doors meeting about the Poppy Appeal took place last Monday. Those discussions will be made public in the coming weeks.
