AN ONGOING dispute between Cannock politicians has seen the town’s MP accuse the council leader of taking his words out of context.
Aidan Burley responded to comments made by Cannock Chase District Council leader George Adamson, suggesting he was out of step with his party in his response to the announcement healthcare regulator Monitor had recommended a radical reconfiguration of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
Mr Burley said Councillor Adamson had ‘deliberately misquoted’ him on ‘the abolition of Labour’s failed foundation trust in Mid Staffordshire’.
“I said I was ‘pleased that Monitor agree with me that a hospital must remain open in Cannock’ not that I was ‘pleased’ with their report as a whole,” he said.
“He [Councillor Adamson] also initially described the report as ‘good news’, now, after talking to his deputy, he has apparently changed his mind.
“Councillor Adamson, is this report good news or bad news?”
“Both Bill Cash and I are concerned with many of their proposals relating to Stafford Hospital, and will continue to fight against a downgrading of A&E and acute services,” he said.
“However this must be the first time in history the Labour Party in Cannock are quoting Bill Cash to support their arguments.
“Where were they when he was the only Staffordshire MP calling for a Public Enquiry in to the appalling standards of care in Mid-Staffs Trust?
“They were siding with their Health Secretary Andy Burnham who opposed it, saying it would be a ‘distraction’.”
Mr Burley said in his opinion the Labour Party were part of the problem with Stafford and Cannock hospitals and called on his rivals to apologise for ‘forcing through foundation status at a time when people were dying from appalling care and the trust was going bankrupt’.
“Events have shown them to be wholly discredited and they will never be trusted again in Staffordshire to run our NHS,” he said.
“Councillors Adamson and Toth now need to be very careful.
“The current proposals call for Cannock Hospital to remain open.
“If, through their opposition, these are reviewed and the hospital is closed, they alone will be to blame.”
“They should also now answer the questions I originally put to them – on what basis do they say Cannock Hospital is being ‘privatised’?” said Mr Burley.
“If there is none and they are scaremongering local people for their own political ends, then that is outrageous and they should be utterly ashamed of themselves.”
