Cameron visits Kingston Hospital
Zac Goldsmith, Helen Whately and Shadow minister Pelling at an earlier visit ('Surrey Comet' photo)
David Cameron has paid a short visit to Kingston Hospital, but not as short as the ‘Comet’ link in the right hand column here would suggest. I hope the ‘Comet’ and other papers give fuller details in their printed edition.
The most significant thing he said, according to reports from people who were there, was that, if elected he would see to it that Kingston Hospital was safe from closures. He asked questioners ‘would you like that in writing?’
As I say, I look forward to reading a fuller account in next week’s paper.
Meanwhile readers mught like to follow this YouTube link and see a short statement by David Cameron and read a fuller account of the visit.
Next Farmers’ Market
Facebook message received to day from Geoffrey Doyle:
Geoffrey says, “Please spread the word the Surbiton Farmers’ Market will be on the morning of 17th April 2010. Thanks. “.
Event: Farmers’ Market
Start Time: 17 April at 09:00
End Time: 17 April at 13:00
Where: Maple Road, Surbiton
Campaign launched
At a rough estimate about 150 people turned out for the launch of our Council campaign this afternoon. The event was at 5 p.m. at the Odeon cinema in the Rotunda.
A mixture of films and speeches was very well received with some really good input from entirely new Council candidates, aided by Zac Goldsmith, Helen Whatley and Shadow London Minister Justine Greening. Nick Kilby featured as the impresario.
They’re off!
At last Gordon Brown has found his way to the Palace to launch the General Election for real. I suppose it was to be expected that the BBC would devote the whole morning to boring everyone to death with endless interviews of politicians and its own correspondents.
Unlike parliament, the Council doesn’t dissolve. It stays in being until the Council elections are over. Nominations close at 12 noon on Thursday, but I can tell you that Mavis Cracknell, Nick Kilby and I have all been validly nominated and hope to have your support at the polling station.
There will be no surgeries from now until after the election but Nick and I are still accessible by email and telephone and you will see us around – maybe on your doorstep – during the campaign.
I have one observation to make on the General Election. I firmly believe that Kingston needs a change of administration and Britain needs a change of government and I think most Surbiton Hill residents are of the same opinion. The plain fact is that there is only one party that can produce that change – the Conservative Party. The Lib Dems are not an alternative government and, if my experience of working with them in a hung Council from 1998 to 2002 is anything to go by – they are very unreliable partners for anyone in such a situation.
Helen Whately has worked immensely hard in the three years she has been a candidate. She is at least as experienced as the Lib Dem candidate was when he was elected in 1997. Her local connections are stronger than his were or are and she represents a new start for Britain, whereas the re-election of the Lib Dem candidate would be the local outcome most pleasing to Gordon Brown, because it would help him cling to power.
Easter
WE WISH ALL RESIDENTS OF SURBITON HILL WARD
AND
ALL VISITORS TO THIS SITE
A VERY HAPPY EASTER
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
- a new school was necessary to cope with increased numbers but
- RBK was evidently putting all its eggs into this one basket and
- there were obviously many problems with this site that the officers’ presentation hadn’t covered but which could lead to
- difficulties at the planning stage akin to those faced by the Sure Start Centre at School Lane, therefore
- 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.
Surbiton Forum 