Lib Dems Condemn Tory Call For New Health Quango

11.52.41am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 17th Oct 2006

Vale Liberal Democrats have proposed major changes to a Tory motion which seeks to create a new national QUANGO to run the National Health Service, rather than addressing the needs of local residents.

The Tory motion called for a new independent regulatory framework to oversee the management of the NHS and an independent body to run the service. However, this would simply create a whole new QUANGO, giving more power to the Prime Minister of the day to hand out jobs to favoured people. It would not give local people any more of a say in how their health service is being run.

The Liberal Democrats will therefore proposed an amendment at Wednesday's Council meeting which calls on the government to decentralise decision making in the NHS to local, accountable bodies which residents can have a genuine voice on. Issues such as the future of the Vale's community hospitals would then be decided locally, not at the Treasury in London.

The Liberal Democrat motion also expressly calls for investment to make the NHS effective before tax cuts are considered by any future government, something the Tory Party nationally has been unable to commit to.

Proposing the amendment, Cllr Jenny Hannaby said: "What the Tories are proposing is simply wrong-headed. The last thing we need is for even more decisions on our hospitals and doctors being taken in Whitehall. Residents need to have a genuine say in what goes on here. We all pay for the health service and we all use the services provided.

"There is a role for the government in setting out guidelines to ensure a good service is provided but are the Tories really trying to tell us that government appointees meeting in London know what's best for our community hospitals or any of our other local services?