End of the line for ailing chamber

Members of Consett Chamber of Trade have not held a meeting for more than 18 months, and now president Billy Gowland has been charged with winding it down.

The 80-year-old Chamber of Trade survived the town's economic crisis of the early 1980s, but membership has halved in the past decade.

Mr Gowland, who owns Gralands DIY store, in Newmarket Street, said that he had felt unable to represent the chamber at Derwentside District Council meetings during the past year as he could not ascertain the views of his members.

Now he is seeking advice on how to wind up the organisation, with a view to holding its assets so it can be revived at a future date.

He said: "It is a terrible shame, but the best we can do at present is mothball it.

"I expect people will want to keep it going, but goodwill isn't enough. It needs people to actually become involved.

"We've sent letters out to every member asking them to come to meetings, but nobody comes. It's really just been a holding action for five years. At the last count we had about 20 members, but it may be less than that now."

Mr Gowland, who has been president for eight years, revealed that the idea of approaching Stanley Chamber of Trade in order to form a Derwentside-wide organisation had been discussed, but had come to nothing.

Consett Chamber of Trade's rules state that its assets should be placed in the hands of two trustees, if the organisation was wound down.

Mr Gowland, who was first asked to investigate winding-down procedures at the last meeting in March 1999, plans to seek legal advice on the matter.

The leader of Derwentside District Council, Alex Watson, expressed his hope that the chamber would reconsider.

He said: "We need a representative body like that and I hope they will reconsider and re-emerge stronger than ever.

"We have the Shop Watch scheme whereby all the shop owners and workers work together and that has been a success.

"Maybe that organisation will fill the gap.