Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Chairman of the Council with great sadness formally reported the following deaths:
· Alderman, former Derwentside District Councillor Bill Stockdale who was elected to the Leadgate Ward of Derwentside District Council in 1979 until he stood down in 2003.
· Alderman, former Durham City Councillor Michael (Micky) Howarth who represented the Bearpark and Witton Gilbert Ward on Durham City Council from May 1987 to May 2003.
The Chairman informed Council that 21 October marked the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster when a small Welsh mining community was changed forever. Thousands of tons of waste from a coal tip poured down a hillside and engulfed a school and nearby homes killing 144 people, most of them children. Hundreds more had lived with the shock and grief of that day.
The Council stood for a moments silence to remember those lost in the Aberfan disaster and the courage and determination of those who survived and as a mark of respect to former Councillors Stockdale and Howarth.
The Chairman informed Council that the meeting was to be the last one attended by Councillor Mac Williams before he was to stand down as a Councillor at the end of November. The Council placed on record its appreciation of the service of Councillor Mac Williams.