Mark Garnier, Conservative parliamentary Spokesman for Wyre Forest today expressed concern at new figures published this week showing worsening NHS deficits across the country. Inconsistent and poorly-planned Government policies have forced NHS trusts to a total of £1.3 billion into the red.
Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Wyre Forest Mark Garnier has raised concerns over the Governments latest round of health reorganisations. Whilst he sees that the reorganisation of the primary care trust in Worcestershire is more of an administration change, and almost certainly won't affect services, Mark Garnier raises serious doubts about the changes to the Ambulance Trust.
Alan Duncan MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, stepped in to help Kidderminster's Network (Worcestershire), and similar organisations from around the country, from impending financial problems - problems brought about by poor Government planning.
A petition from 2,500 local Wyre Forest residents was delivered to Parliament yesterday by local activists Stephen Clee and Mark Garnier. The petition called for Home Secretary Charles Clarke MP to cancel his hugely unpopular proposed merger of West Mercia Police into a local West Midlands super-force. Under the proposals, West Mercia Police - one of the best police forces in the country - is to be amalgamated under the 'regionalisation' scheme that will see the 47 current police forces reduced to just 12.
It was announced today that Worcestershire will see 720 jobs cut from its three main hospitals. One out of every seven people working for the Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust will lose their job, including doctors, nurses and NHS workers. Conservative parliamentary Spokesman Mark Garnier today expressed deep sorrow for those people affected and laid the blame for the job losses firmly at the door of the Government.
The private member's bill brought by Conservative MP David Curry, that would bring relief to people whose quality of life is threatened by proposed mobile telephone masts, was effectively killed by the Labour Government today. David Curry's bill proposed measures that would hand back the emphasis of planning grants to local councils regarding the location of telephone masts. Currently, telephone masts enjoy an advantage in planning law that is more usually used for essential utilities, and that was granted to telephone mast applications back when mobile 'phones were a new invention.
Mark Garnier, Wyre Forest's Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman, today backed calls from local Conservative MPs to hold a referendum on the future of West Mercia Police Force. The call comes after the Government started to push ahead with proposals to merge West Mercia with South Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands police force into a local super force under unpopular proposals.
With residents in Wyre Forest disappointed that little action is being taken in Westminster over their concerns regarding telephone mast planning, relief may be coming in the form of a Private Members Bill to move the emphasis of planning to local councils. Mark Garnier, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Wyre Forest, delivered a petition in early 2005 from over a 1,000 Wyre Forest residents highlighting their desire for a change in the law to allow local residents a say in local planning applications.
The Government has today announced plans that West Mercia Police is to form part of the new West Midlands Police Force under unpopular changes. This is the first merger to be announced and will form the second biggest police force in the country after the Metropolitan in London.
Mark Garnier, recently re-selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Wyre Forest, today welcomed the outcome of the Conservative Party leadership ballot. Members of the wider Conservative Party have voted by more than two to one in favour of 39 year old David Cameron MP to lead the party into the next general election.
