At a meeting with Councillors representing our northern wards we agreed to organise a public meeting to raise awareness of the threat posed to our quality of life in the whole of Wyre Forest by the proposed expansion of Wolverhampton Business Airport. We plan to hear details of the threat from protest groups already set up and to discuss actions that we can take to oppose this development. The meeting will be at Baxter College at 7 pm on Wednesday, 11 June and judging from the number of letters I have received about this we expect a good attendance. I am in touch with other local Members of Parliament whose constituencies will be affected and already many letters of protest have been sent to The Rt. Hon. Alistair Darling, MP, Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whose address is : Eland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU. It is good to know that the resistance to this proposed development comes from MPs and Councillors of all political persuasions so this is a true cross-party campaign.

Two weeks ago I told you that the Health Committee had questioned David Lammy, MP, Junior Health Minister about the arrangements for the transition from Community Health Councils (CHCs) to the new Patient and Public Involvement Forums.

To our disbelief, he told us that there would be no gap during this transition and it is a tribute to the power of the Health Committee that yesterday a ministerial statement appeared stating as follows :

"We have listened to parliamentarians and other stakeholders and we are responding positively to comments around the specific issue of independent monitoring of the NHS during the transition period. We have therefore decided to make the position absolutely unassailable by retaining CHCs to continue their monitoring function until 1 December at which point all Patient Forums will be in place to take up this role."

The Government’s amazing lack of foresight is clear as our own CHCs lease of its premises terminates long before 1 December. It cannot be alone with this problem as CHCs were informed long ago that they would be abolished on 31 August.

I attended the AGM of Wyre Wheels Bike Club and heard of their ambitious plans for a motorbike club for young people. There are many problems to be faced before this can be achieved but land and a possible source of bikes have been located. A consultant is to carry out a feasibility study and then a meeting of interested parties will be called to discuss this and possible funding. The District Council, the police, Wyre Forest Community Housing and local schools are already involved with this exciting project.

R.T.