It is hard to have to say that something that people very reasonably want and that I support is in fact impossible to achieve under existing circumstances. I refer to the local post offices which are under threat of closure in parts of Kidderminster. The main source of income for the sub-postmasters at these branches was from paying out pensions. Since this has been removed from local post offices the income available has fallen drastically and these branches are no longer viable. Sadly there is no intention on the part of the Government, despite a recent debate, to alter pension payment arrangements and so, as Mr. Tony Baldwin, sub-postmaster at Bewdley Road, said last week he can neither sell the business or continue to work 60 hours a week for a wage below the national minimum.

The performance of the Harriers continues to fluctuate from the depths of the last two Saturday losses to the heights of the win over Southend.

On a cheerful note the Harriers Supporters Trust was launched last Saturday. Several months of hard work behind the scenes have led to this point. My only regret about the meeting is that I don’t think it was made clear enough that the advantage of donating to the Supporters Trust for them to buy shares in the Harriers is that the Trust could then accrue enough shares to have the right of representation on the Board of Directors.

It would be marvellous if the Supporters Trust really took off and attracted many donations of all sizes. About fifteen of the Clubs in the Third Division already have Supporters Trusts and rely on them to a greater or lesser degree and as the Harriers Board are wisely directing affairs to live within the budget, it is only much more support that will allow a greater expenditure on players.

The long awaited report from the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) on the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust has been published. Although it is critical of many aspects of the Trust’s functions, it does not reflect the state of hospital services in the County that are reported to me or the major criticisms in the recent Annual Audit Letter.

I am taking this up with other MPs and the Chief Executive of CHI.

Readers may not be aware but The Capital Medical Engineering Training Centre has opened on the hospital site. This provides training for Bio-Medical Equipment Technicians from all parts of the country. We are at the forefront with this innovative development which has been supported by Advantage West Midlands and could possibly give us a lever into a medical technology cluster as a part of the A38 development corridor.

R.T.