ABC in turmoil

A special general meeting at Parkhurst Hall on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 20 has a sole agenda item - "The Association of Bexhill Citizens - the future."

The current newsletter of the town's leading civic group contains:

*The resignation of chairman Eric Daniel with full statement

*The resignation of deputy chairman and newsletter editor Barry Soden with statement

*The resignation of secretary and assistant treasurer Chris O'Grady and her statement

*A statement from treasurer Joan Lewis giving notice to quit at the end of the financial year

*A half-page formal notice of the special general meeting

Eric Daniel says: "AS chairman, I have concluded that there is nothing further that I can contribute in a meaningful manner to the management of the Association of Bexhill Citizens.

"Therefore, it is right and proper that I resign as chairman from the executive committee. Further, I withdraw from being a Trustee of the association..."

Barry Soden says: "For some considerable time meetings of the executive committee have been held in an atmosphere of increasing antagonism between the various members. Executive committee confidentiality has repeatedly been breached.

"Accusations of all kinds have been levelled at the officers, including financial incompetence, and we have even been accused of producing falsified minutes of the executive committee. None of this is true."

He adds: "I wish the association well, but I cannot see it lasting much beyond this diamond jubilee year unless radical and far-reaching changes are made to the organisation, particularly to the proceedings of the executive and other committees.

"No such changes will be made so long as the general apathy of the membership results in all nominations for posts within the association being returned unopposed."

Chris O'Grady says: "The last 12 months have been a nightmare, to say the least. There have been a lot of problems within the ABC and the pressure immense."

Joan Lewis says the resignation of fellow officers under "rather unpleasant circumstances" force her to consider her own position as treasurer.

"Whilst I will keep the situation under review, as the longest-serving member of the executive committee my conscience will not allow me to resign without proper notice, consequently leaving the association without a treasurer."

In a separate letter in the newsletter, former president Brian Mason refers to comments in the previous newsletter about adverse comments circulating about the executive.

He says the ABC's decline date back 25 years and that membership is now a quarter of what it was. But he says he is not pessimistic about the future.

The association is committed to its Sea Road premises for another three years.

"We have perhaps six month less than this period to reinvent the association more in line with prospective membership numbers, so that expenditure and income can be brought in line.

"But then I would expect your present healthy reserves to be severely depleted."