News story

31st October 2005

New Frenchay Rescue Bid Launched

Northavon MP Steve Webb and South Gloucestershire's Lib Dem council group have joined forces in a new bid to save Frenchay Hospital. Under a twin track approach, MP Steve Webb has arranged a meeting with senior staff of the Parliamentary Ombudsman to discuss a complaint of maladministration against the Department of Health over the way the decision to downgrade Frenchay was taken.

Meanwhile, Lib Dems on South Gloucestershire will this week table a motion calling on the Council to take expert legal advice over a possible judicial review of the Frenchay decision. At Wednesday's meeting of the Council's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cllr Dave Hockey will seek all-party agreement for a request to the Council's cabinet to authorise the funding to explore a legal challenge. The MP and the council group are working together to find new ways to challenge the Frenchay decision following the refusal of the Department of Health to allow an independent review into the plan.

Steve Webb said:

"We will not be fobbed off by the Department of Health, who are clearly not listening to the views of local people. Since their refusal to allow someone independent to investigate I have been inundated with letters and e-mails from South Gloucestershire residents urging me to keep up the fight, and I intend to do just that. The Ombudsman's role is to see if people have suffered injustice as a result of maladministration, and it is clear to me that local people will suffer a great injustice if this decision is allowed to go ahead unchallenged."

Cllr Dave Hockey added:

"South Gloucestershire councillors were elected to be the voice of our community, and there are few issues where that voice is needed more than over the future of Frenchay. We owe it to local residents to see if this seriously flawed decision can now be challenged in the courts, and I hope that all parties on the Council will join with us in this campaign".