Having been away or out of commission for most of August I am now back in harness refreshed and ready for work.

Excitements ahead include _

• the Kidderminster Horticultural Society Autumn Show at Hurrans on Saturday, 
• the opening of our new local radio station, 107.2 The Wyre (Kidderminster Radio Limited) on 12 September, 
• the Bewdley Festival and 
• Music for You in early October.

There are several crucial consultations and developments in the near future. 

• We will all welcome discussions about Neighbourhood Policing that herald the start of the trials of this project in our area. 
• Options for the development of the Bridge Street Basins link in Stourport have been published for consultation that closes on 17 October. A quick glance at these shows exciting possibilities that will complement the regeneration of the Lichfield Basin admirably. 
• The Highways Agency are to be thanked for their efforts to minimize and to warn us about the traffic difficulties inevitably associated with the safety work to start on the Chester Road North railway bridge on 18 September to last 10 weeks. Although there will be a one-way traffic-light controlled way over the bridge for vehicles it will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists. I personally shall attempt to avoid the bridge in a car!

Turning to health the Hospital Services Review consultation commences in October. 
This has been brought about by the failure of "Investing in Excellence" and the continued financial crisis affecting all county health services. 

We have the Chairman's pledge to listen during this consultation and the stated aims to find ways to protect and develop hospital services. 
Wyre Forest people are so aware of the mockery that can take the place of a listening consultation that we are grateful for the pledge but will only believe it to be real if changes in services that are actually reductions affect all parts of the county equally. 
We cannot be singled out to bear the brunt of any painful decisions as happened so obviously in 1998.

Plans for the redevelopment of the Lucy Baldwin Hospital for the elderly mentally ill have at last been agreed and provided these are not devastated by the countywide health cash crisis we can hope for progress here. 

The future of our Birth Centre is still very much in the balance and it is sadly inconceivable that the shortage of funds will not influence the outcome.

As an independent observer at Westminster I hope my friends among Conservative MPs will take note of the feeling expressed clearly in recent national polls that many people support Ken Clarke to be leader of their Party. I wish to see a strong main opposition to hold the Government to account and from my observations of performance he is the leadership candidate most likely to achieve this and most feared by the Government