Hospital site and health

The week started with a consultation meeting at the Masonic Hall on the plan to build a new primary school next to the polyclinic on Surbiton Hospital site. There was a good turnout despite the fact that several homes in the Oakhill area had not received any consultation info from the Council, whereas ones in Claremont Road had had theirs 10 days previously. Accident or design?

After an hour long commercial for the proposed school by RBK officers person after person in the audience spoke against the proposal on a variety of grounds ranging from restrictive covenants to the question of access and the general desirability or otherwise of location these two buildings close together. One mother of small children queried the advisability of having a school so clearly exposed to the variety of persons who would attend the polyclinic. An older person questioned to desirability of ill people being exposed to the noise inevitably associated at certain times of day with a school of upwards of 360 children.

Edward Davey began the evening speaking in favour of the proposal but ended it with a sideways move, saying that no alternative sites should be overlooked. This earned him a ripple of applause. This writer got a much louder round of applause when he pointed out that

1. a new school was necessary to cope with increased numbers but
2. RBK was evidently putting all its eggs into this one basket and
3. there were obviously many problems with this site that the officers’ presentation hadn’t covered but which could lead to
4. difficulties at the planning stage akin to those faced by the Sure Start Centre at School Lane, therefore
5. for goodness’ sake work out a plan B or you could be left in 2 years time with nothing.

The other big meeting was of the Council on Tuesday which debated ‘value for money’ and the way RBK treats its ‘customers’. The Lib Dems voted against a critical Conservative motion. No surprises there. What was surprising was that they failed to table the usual wrecking amendment.

There was also a debate on the Health Overview Panel’s report on the threat to Services at Kingston Hospital. Howard Jones and I both pointed out that the Lib Dems were trying to make a party issue between us on the matter and both a motion they proposed and a glossy leaflet they had just put out reinforced this view. I reiterated the Conservative party’s view on the matter and proposed an amendment which was accepted.

It went as follows, and is completely at one with our position and that of the party leadership nationally and of Helen Whately. “We support Kingston Hospital unequivocally and will oppose any attempt by anyone at any time to curtail the services it offers, particularly on maternity and A&E.” The amendment was accepted and carried unanimously by the Council.

We trust this will put an end to ‘disinformation’ campaigns by the Lib Dems on this issue.