Deputy mayor told to get bus to official events
DURHAM’S deputy mayor could be left relying on public transport to get to official events unless councillors can agree a rule change.
Coun Jean Chaplow was elected to the position by the Charter Trustees for the City of Durham earlier this month.
But although a civic car is made available for the mayor, the deputy is expected to handle their own transport.
Coun Chaplow, who lives in Esh Winning, said: “There’s a precedent that the deputy mayor had to get herself to events. Well I don’t drive so it was going to have to be the bus for me, which is not very reliable, so it was rather worrying that I was going to need it.”
Transport was not an issue for previous deputy mayor Coun Katie Corrigan, who became this year’s vice chairman of the council in May, as she owned a car.
The issue was raised at a trustees meeting on June 20 by Coun John Turnbull.
He said: “I’m concerned the deputy mayor has been told she has got to get the bus [to official events].
“I think that’s wrong and it needs to be looked at.”
Councillors agreed to considered making the civic car available to deputy mayor as well as the mayor at a later meeting. FOR 17 years, teenager Luke Pollard was perfectly healthy and showed no signs of the rare genetic condition that would kill him.
Luke died at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle just months after being diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome – a condition which affects one in every 75,000 people.
The Wallsend teenager underwent 12 major operations and had the lower part of his right leg amputated as medics battled in vain to save his young life.
Luke fought for eight gruelling months but tragically died four days before Christmas in 2016 aged only 18.
Speaking after his inquest at Newcastle Coroner’s Court on Monday, grieving mum Caroline Beckett has bravely opened up about her heartbreak for the first time.
She said: “It was just so tragic. At the time I just didn’t want to be here myself. “I don’t think I will ever come to terms with what happened. My son was a perfectly healthy strapping young lad one day, and the next all of this happened.
“I think about him every day and I still struggle.”
Born at North Tyneside General Hospital, Luke was the youngest of six children and attended Hadrian Park Primary School.
The Newcastle United fan moved with mum Caroline to Chester in 2010 for a “fresh start” after his dad John died suddenly aged just 46.
The pair returned to Wallsend three years later, and Luke was enjoying a gardening apprenticeship with the Kier Group at the time his medical nightmare began.
Paying tribute to her son, who harboured long-term ambitions of becoming a mechanic, Caroline said: “He was loved by all. Luke was a very cheeky character but funny.
“He knew I loved him to bits, he could get away with things with me. He loved me to bits too, he was so protective of me.
“All in all he was just a lovely young man.”
In March 2016, Luke started complaining of abdominal pains and was admitted to the Freeman Hospital on April 3.
Medics were forced to carry out emergency operations just three days later due to a ruptured spleen and an aortic aneurysm.
The blood loss from various ruptured blood vessels was so severe the decision was taken to amputate the lower part of his right leg.
Luke was operated on 10 times before being discharged on August 16, and mum Caroline says the “horrific” experience forever changed her son.
She said: “He was not the same when he came back. He lost so much weight and was so unhappy, he didn’t want to go out or see anybody.
“I don’t know what was going through his mind. I’m so grateful they got him to a stage where he could come home, just to have that little bit of time with him.” Luke did not have an explanation until September, when he was diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome – one of the most serious forms of a rare genetic condition which causes connective tissue disorder.
Conducting her own research online, Caroline was devastated to read the life expectancy for those suffering from the condition was just 40 years.
She added: “That upset me then – now I would give anything to have those years looking after him.
“I never told Luke, whether he looked it up himself I don’t know.”
Luke was able to celebrate his 18th birthday at home, but was taken back to the Freeman Hospital on December 14 by ambulance after vomiting blood.
Caroline said: “I knew when he went back that he was not coming back home.”
Further blood vessel ruptures and another aneurysm were detected, and Family picture of Luke Pollard