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Tom BrakeLiberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington |
November 2011
Over many years, together with many local campaigners, I have fought for the future of St Helier Hospital. That is why over the summer, I called upon the NHS London to pause and reconsider the merger of St. Helier Hospital with the St. George's NHS Trust. I have recently met with Peter Coles, Interim Chief Executive at St George's Healthcare Trust, and received assurances that a merger will not affect the St Helier rebuild. I also made it very clear that local residents will not accept attempts to turn St Helier into a satellite hospital.
The Health and Social Care Bill was approved by the Commons at the beginning of September. As part of the Listening Exercise I submitted a 43 page document to the Health Secretary outlining the concerns of local people. I am pleased that the Liberal Democrats have been able to improve the Bill substantially, which guarantees that the interests of patients are always put first, ensuring that there will be no privatisation of the NHS and no special favours to the private sector.
My Liberal Democrat colleagues in the Lords have also successfully tabled an amendment which means that the Secretary of State will have a full legislative responsibility to ensure provision of NHS services. I recognise that there are still concerns about this. The Bill is not perfect and I, like some of my colleagues, would like to see some further changes made to it.
I am also pleased that the Government has announced the doubling of the Pupil Premium, delivered more apprenticeships, and announced an additional £12 million in funding for Sutton's schools.
More locally, I have been fighting plans to terminate Thameslink services from Sutton at Blackfriars from 2016, which would put an end to direct services to St Pancreas, Luton and the Crossrail service. Whilst I welcome proposals to double the number of services on the Sutton Loop, plans to axe direct services through London will be another blow to thousands of Sutton commuters who already get a raw deal on transport. Help me to make Network Rail think again by signing the petition.
You may also be aware that the Boundary Commission is proposing to redraw constituency boundaries. I am concerned about the impact these changes will have on local democracy, especially as it will lead to historic communities, such as Beddington, Carshalton and Wallington, being separated. A recent poll demonstrated that local people are against these proposals, and that is why I am urging you to voice your concerns about these ill-thought through proposals.
Over the last few months I have also been campaigning for improved road safety outside John Fisher School, joined local volunteers to restore parts of the River Wandle, and volunteered in the Marie Curie charity shop as part of 'Make a Difference Day'.
As ever, please do let me know if you have any comments or concerns you would like to raise with me.
Tom Brake
PS: You may be interested to know that this year I'm taking part in the Olympic Gold Challenge to raise money for Bliss, a charity that provides care and support for babies who are born sick or prematurely. I have already raised £200, thanks partly to Carshalton Athletic for letting me go in goals at half-time last Saturday!
If you would like to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/tombrakegoldchallenge, where you can also find out more about my Challenge and the work that Bliss do. It's easy to donate and all the money goes straight to helping the thousands of babies who are born this way each year, as well as their families.
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