The money is safe and the fight goes on but the future of who controls the Hands Off HRI campaign is far from settled.

The huge campaign has been struck by a power struggle after leaders fell out over NHS politics.

A near farcical situation has now emerged with both sides claiming they are ‘Hands Off HRI’.

Now next week the two sides will try to thrash out an agreement helped by mediators.

Making sense of it is far from easy. Here’s what we know so far.

What’s going on?

Essentially one side led by activists, who want to link up with local campaigns from across the country, say they still comprise the committee and the campaign and have “disassociated” with campaign founder Karl Deitch. But Mr Deitch – a security system contractor from Golcar who launched the group in his lunch break – says he is still the campaign and a minority of people have left his group to form a new splinter group.

Karl Deitch, Hands Off HRI founder
Karl Deitch, Hands Off HRI founder

So which campaign do I back?

It depends if you want to be political or not. ‘Official Hands Off HRI’ is the new group chiefly led by activists who want to link the local campaign with other campaigns at the Health Campaigns Together rally in London next month. They say they are still dedicated to saving HRI but cannot ignore the link with Conservative health policy and are keen to challenge the government and the NHS as a whole.

The original campaign founded by Karl Deitch on the Facebook group ‘Let’s Save Huddersfield A&E’ has vowed to carry on as it was and says he has no interest in looking any further than the boundaries of Huddersfield and Calderdale.

But it’s confusing having two campaigns?

Indeed, and it seems it will not be settled quickly.

Mr Deitch says his Facebook page sparked the huge campaign and he told the Examiner the other side were causing “confusion” and “laying claim to the goodwill and community support” that was built up on his Facebook page – which now has 44,000 members.

Meanwhile, the new group says Mr Deitch has no right to the Hands Off HRI name as a limited company. Hands Off HRI Ltd was founded by Natalie Ratcliffe, a Unison official who has parted ways with Mr Deitch. She told the Examiner: “The Facebook page Let’s Save Huddersfield A&E is not Hands Off HRI. I’m afraid Mr Deitch has made unilateral decisions which is why we’ve had to disassociate with him. But it’s clear our campaign is to challenge the CCG locally.”

Natalie Ratcliffe, of Unison and #HandsOffHRI

How do we settle this?

At the moment it’s unclear. An attempt by the split group to make up with Mr Deitch’s side has apparently failed but another effort could happen next week, with the assistance of mediators. If that fails then an impasse may be hard to overcome and the split will be permanent.

Who controls the money?

Mr Deitch is one of the signatories to the campaign fund but it requires two to move any cash. The others are the treasurer and one member of the group that has parted ways with Mr Deitch. What is clear is that it cannot be spent for anything other than fighting the proposal to reconfigure the hospitals. Mr Deitch says: “The bank account and Let’s Save Huddersfield A&E Facebook group and name ‘Hands Off HRI’ were all set up long before the Hands Off HRI limited group set up their company.

Here's what this is all about

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“Hands Off HRI Limited has a solitary director and shareholder of that company, the individual who set up the limited company. That is nothing to do with our Let’s Save Huddersfield A&E / Hands Off HRI campaign.

“Hands Off HRI solicitors, Irwin Mitchell, have confirmed that they act for us not the company.”

But the new group say the money is linked to the limited company. They have also met up with Irwin Mitchell without Mr Deitch.

They have vowed the money will not be spent on any national campaigning.

What are the lawyers Irwin Mitchell saying?

Solicitor Yogi Amin would only say he represented the campaign and he hoped those involved would come to an understanding.

Who gets to speak to the health chiefs?

Both sides are saying they are the ones who will deal with the CCG (clinical commissioning groups). Ultimately it is up to the CCG who they talk to. They have made no public statement on the matter.

A key meeting of Kirklees and Calderdale councillors into the hospital shake up plan is to take place today. It could see councillors refer the proposal to the Health Secretary via the Independent Reconfiguration Panel but it is thought they may delay until later in the year.