Leader wants to keep momentum up

By Harriet Ernstsons 31/08 Updated: 31/08 09:45

THE LEADER of Redditch Borough Council has urged residents to keep the momentum of the Save the Alex campaign going.

Coun Bill Hartnett said the strength of feeling in the borough against proposals which could close services at the hospital had ‘clearly been a shock to the system’ to health chiefs.

“We have made it abundantly clear we do not support any of the options currently on the table, and we should take heart that as a result they have delayed the next round of public engagement because they have said they need more time to respond to concerns.”

Coun Hartnett has also co-signed a letter to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, alongside leaders from Stratford-on-Avon and Bromsgrove District councils, formally requesting a meeting with him.

“We have made sure the Secretary of State for Health is fully aware of our position on this matter,” he added.

“Spiriting away crucial local services like maternity and A&E to a single hospital in Worcester, 45 minutes away from Redditch and without even halfway decent public transport links, could never gain our support and we are pushing hard for changes to these wildly unpopular proposals.”