News from Cornwall Labour

Lib Dems should answer for cancer services lost to Cornwall

Liberal Democrats – MPs and Councillors – should apologise to health campaigners for failing Cornwall over the move of specialist UGI cancer services out of county, says Labour’s Jude Robinson.

It has been revealed that a letter from John Mills, Chair of Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust in 2008, alerted Lib Dems to legal advice that a public consultation was needed on the move. The letter was copied to the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, Eric Parkin and the Leader of the Lib Dem group, David Whalley.

Despite this, the Scrutiny Committee failed to ensure a full public consultation was held or the legal advice shared.

Jude said: “Instead of trotting off to Labour’s Health Ministers to raise this issue now, our Lib Dem MPs should have made sure their party in Cornwall was doing its job properly on behalf of Cornish people and our NHS.”

For two years this issue was tossed around like a political grenade by the Lib Dems, neglecting their duty to consider it carefully on behalf of people in Cornwall. It was the job of the scrutiny committee to fully investigate the Lib Dem cabinet decision to approve the move. Instead evidence that would have supported health campaigners’ case was not made public.”

“There are three possibilities: either the letter is a fake, which no-one is suggesting; the Lib Dems didn’t bother to read it, which is neglect; or it was read and ignored, which would be worst of all.

“Health campaigners asked these questions and were fobbed off time and again. They are owed an apology.

“The Lib Dems promised the earth in 2005. They won all five parliamentary seats and took control of the County Council. They cannot duck responsibility for this mess.”

Other news from Cornwall Labour

• Hundreds sign Falmouth for Orders petition - 30 January 2012
• Labour and unions campaign for dredging the port of Falmouth - 18 January 2012
• Regional funding put at risk by ministers' failure to act - 8 January 2012