18 November, 2004

Yet again affairs concerning us have been decided by a majority from other parts of the County. Recently Health Concern and other County Councillors won a motion to full Council for a vote in Wyre Forest on the Educational Review. 
Heedlessly this was over-turned by the Cabinet by five votes to four.
Whether we should have a two tier system of education or a three tier system is not really the issue. Such a major change will have effects on pupils and staff and neither system is proven to be the better. 

Such a decision should have been made, and been seen to be made, by local people or their representatives and not representatives of other parts of the County. The parallels to the hospital situation are inescapable. I believe a local decision, whichever way it went would have been more acceptable to dissenters.

The Birth Centre enquiry has put into stark relief the consequences of the downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital that were but not prepared for by Health Service managers and directors at the time. 

The question was asked in the columns of The Shuttle on 2 April 1998, 
      “Will the maternity ward remain open?” 
The answer from the Health Authority was yes, with the sentence, “This is currently a midwife-led unit with gynaecology middle grade and consultant anaesthetist cover for unplanned caesarean sections”. The reply continued, “If the current arrangement is safe, then similar arrangements can be made in the future.” Why were these arrangements not made? 

I feel strongly that the staff of the Birth Centre, although they are criticised in the enquiry report, should not suffer severe punishments when the fault lies with Health Service managers, executive and non-executive directors in power in 1998. 

They recognised that changes that would affect the Birth Centre would occur with the downgrading of the hospital but made no plans to cover these changes. Instead it was left to the staff to make an unworkable system work without effective leadership or partnership with the consultant unit.

I visited the National Trust Cave Residences at Kinver as part of the campaign against the expansion of Wolverhampton Business Airport. I joined Sir Patrick Cormack, MP for South Staffordshire, Matthew Green, MP for Ludlow, and Rob Marris, MP for Wolverhampton South West. As a spontaneous All Party Group we demonstrated our objections to the proposed development and our support for the excellent National Trust paper of objection. 

Remembrance Sunday was truly memorable as so many people turned out to march or to watch the parades and then to join in Services of Remembrance. I have been impressed by the number of young people wearing poppies this year. The Iraq crisis has brought home to all of us the terrible meaning of war and why it can only be justified in circumstances like those that applied in 1914 and 1939. 

RT