Changes to Highway Partnerships

Next year there will be changes to the Highway Partnerships, led by County Councillors at local level. The Highway service needs to be more receptive to the needs of local people in Wyre Forest and to the local members. I attended a Road Safety Partnership meeting at Worcester Rugby Club last week. Worcestershire County Council puts £1.2 million into this organisation. Other partners include the Police, Fire Service, and the Highways Agency. The issues were the speed limit review (continuing), road safety, drug driving (as big a problem as drink driving).
I want local County Councillors to have a bigger say on road safety and speed issues than is currently the case. I look forward to progress being made and the formation of the new Highway Partnerships.

Blocked Drains and Puxton Marsh

I had a request from County Highways to report any blocked drains or road flooding. I have reported problems in the lower part of Puxton Drive where garages and gardens were flooded.Residents gave me photographs of this and also the flooding on Puxton Marsh.
If any other residents in Wyre Forest have flood problems, please let me know and I will forward them to Highways. Many people, including me, have reported flooding of the underpass in Mill Street, Kidderminster. I expect comprehensive action to be taken to stop this problem for pedestrians and shoppers who need to be able to walk into Kidderminster without being confronted by streams of water.

Building Schools for the Future

Very good news for High Schools and Special Schools in Wyre Forest. Partners have agreed to commence the PFI programme for complete rebuild to ensure students learn in the very best environments. At full County Council on 11th September, it was reported that Worcestershire was one of eight Authorities selected for inclusion in the programme and we will be placed in the first four to start re-building.
Also, £55 million has been spent on schools in 2007/2008 in Wyre Forest with more to come, in the re-build/refurbishment programme required to meet the challenge of adopting a two tier entry instead of the previous three.
I publicly congratulated Heads and Staff for their tremendous efforts in ensuring that new schools opened on time.

This whole programme is about raising Education Standards – still Labour’s priority and we are Delivering!

NHS Surplus Funds

THE NHS has a surplus of £1.75 billion and some of that money is sitting in NHS Trust Board accounts in Worcestershire. Why will they not put a Radiotherapy Unit at Kidderminster Hospital as a satellite from Wolverhampton? (I presented a petition signed by 6,000 local people).

Why will they not put a palliative care bed unit at Kidderminster Hospital? (Petition signed by 2,171 local people). Why will they not put a birth unit at Kidderminster Hospital? (Petition signed by over 1,000 local people). All of these petitions are still on-going.

My point is this – provide our local hospital with local services that local people want.

Hopefully, next year the county acute trust will gain Foundation Trust status. Four governors will be elected from Wyre Forest to serve non-paid as part of the new status.

I shall certainly run for a position. Why? Because I shall argue strongly for more services at Kidderminster Hospital.

Birth Unit – September Update

The Petition now has more than 1,000 signatures. On 15th September at County Hall, I shall ask members of the Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee to support the policy option for a Birth Unit to be returned to Kidderminster Hospital. Members of the Worcestershire Primary Care Trust will be in attendance and their Strategy sees no role for Kidderminster Hospital. We really do need advocates for new services at Kidderminster!