I am delighted that Yvette Cooper MP, Minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has announced that the Oldington and Foley Park Neighbourhood has been selected as one of the Neighbourhood Management Round 2 Pathfinders. This will attract funding up to £2.65 millions spread over the next seven years. This is a tremendous accolade for the hard work of Councillors and Officers who have put together the case so successfully. I look forward to hearing how this well deserved windfall will be used.

I attended a meeting of Opportunity Bewdley and heard of its continuing success which is helping to put Bewdley onto the map and is so effective in obtaining support from Advantage West Midlands and the County Council. It is so good to hear of the partnership working with many other groups that is looking at, among other things, public transport, better facilities for cycling, the alcohol free zone and exciting developments on the sites of the Medical Centre and the library.

The Wyre Forest Symphony Orchestra concert in the Town Hall last Saturday was excellent. Martin Leigh the talented young conductor produced exciting contrasts of texture and volume in all three works performed. His unexpected (to me) impromptu comments on the final work, Dvorak’s 8th Symphony, were highly appreciated by the audience. Nathaniel Vallois provided a stunning performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto with a particularly beautiful slow movement.

A brief visit to Brussels as a part of the Health Select Committee enquiry into obesity prevented me from attending Health Questions on Tuesday. Peter Luff, MP for Mid-Worcestershire asked the Secretary of State to make a statement on the financial situation of the Worcestershire Health economy.

The answer from John Hutton, Minister of State, was staggering in its optimism and simplification.

He merely stated that all Primary Care Trusts in Worcestershire are forecasting financial balance for this financial year and that the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust aims to ensure financial balance over the next two years.

He did not mention the enormous deficits that all the trusts are labouring under at the moment Neither was there mention of the consequences of these forecasts that will be so hard to achieve despite increases in Government funding.

Most of these will be gobbled up by increased drug costs, National Insurance and other staff costs including those associated with the new consultant and GP contracts.

In addition the existing debt and Government targets have to be met. Thus there is little scope for extra local developments and we must hope that the expected increased activity in our Diagnostic and Treatment Centre will not be affected.

I shall request the County’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee to monitor reductions in service or failure of essential development that result from the struggle to achieve financial balance.