October will see two important events for the future of our town. Each addresses issues that I know are of immense importance to my constituents – the future of our Green Belt and the future shape of Good Hope Hospital.
The first event is a protest walk across some of the Green Belt sites threatened by the Birmingham Development Plan, for which the Public Hearing Sessions are being held on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th October. The will take place on Saturday at 11.00. Please join myself, local Councillors and the Project Fields group at Laburnum Drive in Walmley for the start of the walk.
It was a bitter disappointment that the Labour Council essentially ignored almost 6000 letters written in opposition to the current plan as part of the formal consultation. We need to go into these Public Hearings with demonstrable evidence that Suttonians will not just be pushed aside on this issue, and that we will fight the proposals until the very end. The last protest walk we held back in January sent a very strong message to the Council Planners. We need to demonstrate that the level of unity in opposition to this proposal remains intact, despite setbacks. We owe it to generations past, present and future to continue the fight.
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The second event is the public meeting that I will be holding on Thursday 23rd October at 19.00 in the Town Hall to discuss proposals for service changes to Good Hope Hospital.
Good Hope has served our town, and our neighbours, incredibly well for many years, and it is in all of our interests that any changes that are made are made in order to allow it to continue to fill that crucial role for many years to come.
I will ensure at this meeting that all the different voices of my constituents and users of Good Hope are heard and that the Hospital Management are held to full account for any changes they propose to make to the Hospital Services upon which we rely. As MP for Royal Sutton I have every intention of making certain that the implications of any proposed change are fully explained and understood. Thereafter we as the local community will judge whether they are to our advantage or not.
Please visit my website to find out more about my work in Sutton Coldfield