Grove House surveys and decisions whilst chairing a Xitan Review meeting and being interviewed by Segal Quince as Spurs win the UEFA Cup and NUM/NCB talks break down again
Up on time and my normal breakfast of toast but with boiled egg and fruit juice. A wild day starting fine but ending with showers. On time to the office and some early meetings before the post arrived early for scrutiny before my meetings. A brief chance to meet Ian and discuss capital approvals, declining to agree his IBM PC hard disc enhancement through lack of due justification. At 9.30am ready to see any one of three but eventually Geoff Lynch arrived and we met briefly before the structural surveyor, Mr Keagan, arrived late to be briefed on examining Grove House. A short encounter before despatching Mr Keagan off to undertake a full survey and report back after 3.00pm. Then to chase up the Xitan Directors for a timely start to the Review Meeting – Derek and Geoff engrossed in unproductive interchanges on their share trade up opportunities!
A good meeting with a well-prepared Geoff reporting fully on April’s results and May and June’s prospects. Also presenting a fully updated 3 year Business Plan which was unanimously approved. I stated for the future record that the success and progress of Xitan would be fine providing that the plan could be adhered to and not chopped and changed and this was agreed. Off together for a quick lunch and back just in time to clear my office of debris and be interviewed by Mr Quince of Segal Quince Consultants on the so called ‘Cambridge Phenomena.’ Then at 3.00pm, Mr Keagan returned and provided a full half hour briefing on the structure of Grove House which held no fundamental shocks but provided ammunition for £2000 of repairs to be completed by Turret. Then at 4.00pm Christopher Evans of Vinters, our commercial property solicitor, arrives and runs through the contract and its amendments and we discuss the results of the survey and how to complete the negotiation and deal with Turret. After hours to talk more fully to Stephen Day and John Lamb about the takeover timings, problems and legalities and much store put on getting agreement with the minority share-holders prior to contract for simplicity. But we need to hear from our solicitors tomorrow. Home late after clearing my desk and I settle down to watch the television news and after watch Tottenham Hotspur win the UEFA Cup Final against Anderlecht. After a draw and extra time at 2-2, only to be settled on penalties at 4-3. News today of a rather fruitless meeting between the NUM and NCB that ended with relationships in an even worse state than before. Also of a House of Commons shambles with the Labour Party being out-foxed by the alternative opposition which allowed the Local Government Interim Bill being carried a day early.