The Wiltshire Gazette & Herald reports today that narrowboat owners plan a blockade of the Kennet & Avon Canal at Devizes Wharf and Pewsey Wharf to protest against government cuts to canal maintenance.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has told British Waterways it is thinking about cutting £9 million from its grant in order to help them pay a huge fine Defra has been hit with by the European Commission for managing farming subsidies badly.
Yet this is money contributed by Britain to the EU budget in the first place, which the EU merely labels ‘subsidies’ and requires is given to farmers.
Effectively the EU is demanding a massive fine, which is causing cuts such as this elsewhere, simply because we have not managed our own money for farmers as well as we should have. Great work, if you can get it!
The canal blockage follows a similar action back in November. This time there are expected to be up to 50 boats present and a carnival atmosphere.
Adrian Softley of the Devizes Boat Club said: "If the canal deteriorates because the maintenance budgets have been cut back it will affect everyone, dog walkers, anglers and canoeists, not just ourselves."
Brian Poulton, chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust said that DEFRA was planning a similar reduction of its support to British Waterways in the next financial year.
He said: "To make matters worse, the fine imposed on DEFRA by the EU has reportedly risen from £131 million to £350 million."
A group has been set up to oppose the canal maintenance cuts – Save Our Waterways.
Monday, 26 February 2007
Sunday, 25 February 2007
Half of hospitals delay surgery to save cash
Almost half of NHS hospitals across England are now deliberately delaying operations to save money, according to a Sunday Telegraph today.
"Minimum waiting times" have been imposed by at least 43% of Acute NHS Trusts, a survey for Channel 4's Dispatches programme found. Treatments are often postponed for more than 20 weeks, despite staff and equipment being available.
The survey shows that "minimum waiting times" are, in some hospitals, approaching 28 weeks - the government's much-vaunted maximum wait for in-patient treatment.
The delays were described as "unnecessary" and "crazy" by James Johnson, the chairman of the British Medical Association.
The latest accounts, released last week, show an NHS deficit of £1.3 billion in the third quarter of this financial year, up from £1.2 billion during the previous thee months.
During the same period, the proportion of primary care trusts in the red rose from 39 to 47%.
When are the government going to stop wasting such vast amounts on the EU, pay off these NHS deficits with the money saved, and achieve much more still with the remaining multi-billion pound annual saving?
It's quite simply a 'no brainer'. It's perfectly possible for European countries to co-operate together on the issues that affect us all, without paying huge amounts of money into a central, very leaky EU budget - at the expense of essential public services.
"Minimum waiting times" have been imposed by at least 43% of Acute NHS Trusts, a survey for Channel 4's Dispatches programme found. Treatments are often postponed for more than 20 weeks, despite staff and equipment being available.
The survey shows that "minimum waiting times" are, in some hospitals, approaching 28 weeks - the government's much-vaunted maximum wait for in-patient treatment.
The delays were described as "unnecessary" and "crazy" by James Johnson, the chairman of the British Medical Association.
The latest accounts, released last week, show an NHS deficit of £1.3 billion in the third quarter of this financial year, up from £1.2 billion during the previous thee months.
During the same period, the proportion of primary care trusts in the red rose from 39 to 47%.
When are the government going to stop wasting such vast amounts on the EU, pay off these NHS deficits with the money saved, and achieve much more still with the remaining multi-billion pound annual saving?
It's quite simply a 'no brainer'. It's perfectly possible for European countries to co-operate together on the issues that affect us all, without paying huge amounts of money into a central, very leaky EU budget - at the expense of essential public services.
NHS facing dementia time bomb
This weekend the Observer reports that a new study - commissioned by the Alzheimer's Society and set to be published next week - will reveal that the number of people suffering from dementia in the UK will rise by a million to 1.7m by 2050.
According to the report, within two decades there will be a million dementia sufferers and demand on the NHS for services will escalate.
It warns that, as the proportion of older people in the population increases and family members are less able or willing to provide care, there will be an explosion of demand, placing 'an intolerable strain' on the NHS.
The Alzheimer's Society is expected to argue that what is needed is a national dementia plan, similar to the NHS plans that already exist to deal with cancer, strokes and heart disease.
This would elevate dementia from a low to a high national health priority, establish long-term investment in research and treatment, improve the quality of life of those with dementia and their carers and, crucially, promote early diagnosis.
Professor Martin Prince of the Institute of Psychiatry, one of the lead researchers on the study, said "If you look at priorities within the NHS, dementia receives very little investment. Yet while figures for cancer, heart disease and strokes are stabilising, the rates of dementia are substantially on the increase."
Back in October, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) advised that drug treatments should not be given to patients in the early and late stages of Alzheimer's - a decision the Alzheimer's Society is due to challenge in court.
To show the effect of shortfalls of public money to help sufferers, the Observer report highlights the case of George Russell, 73, and his wife Enid, 72. They have been married for more than 50 years, but for the past 11 years George has been Enid's carer.
It costs £39 for Enid to attend a day centre for a few hours three times a week - more hours aren't available - and £20 for a woman to bath Enid twice a week.
George said, "I don't think it's right. Enid worked all her life and has never been ill, so why should she pay now that she is sick?"
And he's absolutely right. But sadly we all know where billions of pounds every year that could help many people like George and Enid is going instead - completely without justification.
The question is: are MPs going to block sending yet more billions to the EU - by voting against the EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament? And ensure that money can be put to useful work tackling some of these problems instead?
Or are they going to ignore needs like this and reward the EU's twelve years of audit failure with a 60% increase in payments?
According to the report, within two decades there will be a million dementia sufferers and demand on the NHS for services will escalate.
It warns that, as the proportion of older people in the population increases and family members are less able or willing to provide care, there will be an explosion of demand, placing 'an intolerable strain' on the NHS.
The Alzheimer's Society is expected to argue that what is needed is a national dementia plan, similar to the NHS plans that already exist to deal with cancer, strokes and heart disease.
This would elevate dementia from a low to a high national health priority, establish long-term investment in research and treatment, improve the quality of life of those with dementia and their carers and, crucially, promote early diagnosis.
Professor Martin Prince of the Institute of Psychiatry, one of the lead researchers on the study, said "If you look at priorities within the NHS, dementia receives very little investment. Yet while figures for cancer, heart disease and strokes are stabilising, the rates of dementia are substantially on the increase."
Back in October, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) advised that drug treatments should not be given to patients in the early and late stages of Alzheimer's - a decision the Alzheimer's Society is due to challenge in court.
To show the effect of shortfalls of public money to help sufferers, the Observer report highlights the case of George Russell, 73, and his wife Enid, 72. They have been married for more than 50 years, but for the past 11 years George has been Enid's carer.
It costs £39 for Enid to attend a day centre for a few hours three times a week - more hours aren't available - and £20 for a woman to bath Enid twice a week.
George said, "I don't think it's right. Enid worked all her life and has never been ill, so why should she pay now that she is sick?"
And he's absolutely right. But sadly we all know where billions of pounds every year that could help many people like George and Enid is going instead - completely without justification.
The question is: are MPs going to block sending yet more billions to the EU - by voting against the EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament? And ensure that money can be put to useful work tackling some of these problems instead?
Or are they going to ignore needs like this and reward the EU's twelve years of audit failure with a 60% increase in payments?
Saturday, 24 February 2007
Call for Olympic spending checks
A new study by the BBC has shown that the cost estimates for the London 2012 Olympics continue to rise, with the latest estimate now nearing £9bn.
This is four times the £2.35bn figure set out in the city's bid for the Games, which itself rose 40% to £3.3bn back in November according to the culture secretary Tessa Jowell.
Now the BBC has found that construction alone will equal that figure. A further £2bn construction contingency fund will be set aside, with regeneration costs of £1.8bn and a £1bn VAT bill taking the total higher.
The big question is: where is this money going to come from? The answer seems likely to be an ever greater reliance on contributions from the National Lottery.
But as Shadow culture secretary Hugo Swire said on the BBC's Today programme, "Now the lottery is already having to contribute one and a half billion pounds which is going to mean a lot of the other good causes are going to suffer as a result."
But there is an alternative. By the time the Games come around in 2012, the government will also have paid the EU a net total of £36bn - if the current EU budget deal gets approved by MPs.
That's several times more than the total cost of the Games, even at the level of current upper estimates.
Just an idea, but instead of depriving good causes of lottery money, why not put a stop to those payments to the EU until that organisation can at least get its accounts approved by auditors. Whatever accrues from this source can be put towards plugging the Olympics funding gap.
We'd find there would be lots left over for other useful purposes too, like paying off NHS deficits and preventing further cuts to health services.
There's certainly no justification for continuing to send billions to the EU while auditors can't tell us how the "majority" is being spent. Especially when public money is urgently needed elsewhere.
So who's getting the chop Tessa? Lottery-funded good causes, or the EU?
This is four times the £2.35bn figure set out in the city's bid for the Games, which itself rose 40% to £3.3bn back in November according to the culture secretary Tessa Jowell.
Now the BBC has found that construction alone will equal that figure. A further £2bn construction contingency fund will be set aside, with regeneration costs of £1.8bn and a £1bn VAT bill taking the total higher.
The big question is: where is this money going to come from? The answer seems likely to be an ever greater reliance on contributions from the National Lottery.
But as Shadow culture secretary Hugo Swire said on the BBC's Today programme, "Now the lottery is already having to contribute one and a half billion pounds which is going to mean a lot of the other good causes are going to suffer as a result."
But there is an alternative. By the time the Games come around in 2012, the government will also have paid the EU a net total of £36bn - if the current EU budget deal gets approved by MPs.
That's several times more than the total cost of the Games, even at the level of current upper estimates.
Just an idea, but instead of depriving good causes of lottery money, why not put a stop to those payments to the EU until that organisation can at least get its accounts approved by auditors. Whatever accrues from this source can be put towards plugging the Olympics funding gap.
We'd find there would be lots left over for other useful purposes too, like paying off NHS deficits and preventing further cuts to health services.
There's certainly no justification for continuing to send billions to the EU while auditors can't tell us how the "majority" is being spent. Especially when public money is urgently needed elsewhere.
So who's getting the chop Tessa? Lottery-funded good causes, or the EU?
Friday, 23 February 2007
Health visitor numbers 'falling'
The BBC reports news today from trade union Amicus that the number of health visitors in England has fallen to its lowest level in 12 years.
Even the government admits that health visitors play a vital role in helping new parents, supporting sufferers of post-natal depression, assisting vulnerable families and protecting children in troubled homes. They are particularly important to the government's agenda of bringing healthcare closer to home.
Yet Amicus highlights that there has been a 40% cut in training places for those workers and warned many cases of domestic abuse and post-natal depression may be missed.
Blaming a squeeze on health budgets for the problem, Amicus says that some trusts are looking to replace health visitors with less well-qualified staff.
To show how this affects people directly, the BBC report gives the example of Trudy Ward. Trudy developed post natal depression after the birth of her son Georgie.
She had a couple of cursory visits from health visitors, but she felt there just wasn't time to talk about her problems. Her situation has improved, but she remains concerned about other women facing her problems in the future.
She said, "Any new mother now looking for help from the health visitor is not going to get the support that they need. "
The report also quotes Claire Dent, a health visitor in Kent and spokesperson for the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association.
She said, "The government understand the importance of getting to parents early and their own documents speak about supporting parents early, but unfortunately they're not allowing us to do what they're asking us to do in all their public documents."
"We don't pick up that post natal depression until it's too late and they're going to the doctor and they're getting anti-depressants and it's much harder.
"And then when they've lost that attachment to their child because they've never realised how important it is, that child's affected for the whole of their life."
The concerns being highlighted by Amicus are supported by findings from an online survey by the parents support network Netmums. More than 4,500 people replied, with a majority saying that services had got worse.
Responding to the claims, Health minister Ivan Lewis acknowledged that training for health visitors was at a low point, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I don't dispute there is a reduction in training places this year and I also don't dispute the need to have a fundamental look at health visiting."
Even the government admits that health visitors play a vital role in helping new parents, supporting sufferers of post-natal depression, assisting vulnerable families and protecting children in troubled homes. They are particularly important to the government's agenda of bringing healthcare closer to home.
Yet Amicus highlights that there has been a 40% cut in training places for those workers and warned many cases of domestic abuse and post-natal depression may be missed.
Blaming a squeeze on health budgets for the problem, Amicus says that some trusts are looking to replace health visitors with less well-qualified staff.
To show how this affects people directly, the BBC report gives the example of Trudy Ward. Trudy developed post natal depression after the birth of her son Georgie.
She had a couple of cursory visits from health visitors, but she felt there just wasn't time to talk about her problems. Her situation has improved, but she remains concerned about other women facing her problems in the future.
She said, "Any new mother now looking for help from the health visitor is not going to get the support that they need. "
The report also quotes Claire Dent, a health visitor in Kent and spokesperson for the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association.
She said, "The government understand the importance of getting to parents early and their own documents speak about supporting parents early, but unfortunately they're not allowing us to do what they're asking us to do in all their public documents."
"We don't pick up that post natal depression until it's too late and they're going to the doctor and they're getting anti-depressants and it's much harder.
"And then when they've lost that attachment to their child because they've never realised how important it is, that child's affected for the whole of their life."
The concerns being highlighted by Amicus are supported by findings from an online survey by the parents support network Netmums. More than 4,500 people replied, with a majority saying that services had got worse.
Responding to the claims, Health minister Ivan Lewis acknowledged that training for health visitors was at a low point, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I don't dispute there is a reduction in training places this year and I also don't dispute the need to have a fundamental look at health visiting."
But he did dispute the claimed cause - the squeeze on health budgets - despite all the evidence to the contrary that financial problem in the NHS are behind a wide range of cuts.
Thursday, 22 February 2007
Wimbledon: Bereavement help slashed
The Wimbledon Guardian reports that a counselling service which has helped hundreds of bereaved people each year is due to close because funding has been withdrawn by health bosses.
The Sutton & Merton bereavement service has been helping those who have lost loved ones, sometimes in tragic circumstances, for 25 years and sees those who have both referred themselves and been referred by their GP.
Though the annual cost of running the service is just £36,000, providing five part-time staff supported by an army of volunteers, the Sutton & Merton Primary Care Trust has refused further funding in an effort to cut costs.
- Article contributed by: R.A. C-H, Wimbledon
The Sutton & Merton bereavement service has been helping those who have lost loved ones, sometimes in tragic circumstances, for 25 years and sees those who have both referred themselves and been referred by their GP.
Though the annual cost of running the service is just £36,000, providing five part-time staff supported by an army of volunteers, the Sutton & Merton Primary Care Trust has refused further funding in an effort to cut costs.
- Article contributed by: R.A. C-H, Wimbledon
Hospital bug deaths on the rise
Public sector union Unison has blamed a rise in the number of deaths linked to the hospital bug Clostridium difficile on the lack of "safe minimum staffing levels" for cleaning services, according to the BBC.
Deaths involving the C. difficile bacterium rose by 69% to 3,800 from 2004-05, Office for National Statistics figures have shown, while MRSA mentions on certificates increased by 39% to 1,629 in the same period.
The bacterium forms spores which means it can survive for long periods in the environment, such as on floors and around toilets, and spread in the air.
Rigorous cleaning with warm water and detergent is the most effective means of removing spores from the contaminated environment and the hands of staff, say experts. Efforts to combat MRSA, such as alcohol hand-rubs, have had no impact on C. difficile.
Head of health at Unison, Karen Jennings, said: "These shocking figures show that MRSA and C difficile have a deadly grip on our NHS. Dirt is not cheap.
"We need to wage war on these superbugs and cleaning and cleaners should be on the front line as an integral part of the infection control team."
Health Minister Lord Hunt called tackling the problem a "major challenge for the NHS and a top priority for government."
But spending more on cleaning staff is apparently not so high a priority as splashing £115 million a week on the EU - an organisation that hasn't been able to explain how it's been spending tens of billions of pounds of British contributions to its budget for twelve years in a row.
Is funding the EU really more important than saving some of the 3,800 deaths being caused by, according to Unison, insufficient spending on hospital cleaning?
What possible benefits can be claimed for this when not even auditors can say how the "majority" of EU expenditure is being spent?
Deaths involving the C. difficile bacterium rose by 69% to 3,800 from 2004-05, Office for National Statistics figures have shown, while MRSA mentions on certificates increased by 39% to 1,629 in the same period.
The bacterium forms spores which means it can survive for long periods in the environment, such as on floors and around toilets, and spread in the air.
Rigorous cleaning with warm water and detergent is the most effective means of removing spores from the contaminated environment and the hands of staff, say experts. Efforts to combat MRSA, such as alcohol hand-rubs, have had no impact on C. difficile.
Head of health at Unison, Karen Jennings, said: "These shocking figures show that MRSA and C difficile have a deadly grip on our NHS. Dirt is not cheap.
"We need to wage war on these superbugs and cleaning and cleaners should be on the front line as an integral part of the infection control team."
Health Minister Lord Hunt called tackling the problem a "major challenge for the NHS and a top priority for government."
But spending more on cleaning staff is apparently not so high a priority as splashing £115 million a week on the EU - an organisation that hasn't been able to explain how it's been spending tens of billions of pounds of British contributions to its budget for twelve years in a row.
Is funding the EU really more important than saving some of the 3,800 deaths being caused by, according to Unison, insufficient spending on hospital cleaning?
What possible benefits can be claimed for this when not even auditors can say how the "majority" of EU expenditure is being spent?
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
Labour MP: Post offices are being bled dry
A Labour MP has spoken out today against the planned closure of 2,500 post offices, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Jim Fitzpatrick, the Post Office Minister, decided before Christmas that the Government would close 2,500 loss-making post offices, despite a Federation of Subpostmasters petition collecting four million signatures against the plan.
It has not yet been decided which offices should close, but many are expected to be in rural areas, leaving pensioners and other vulnerable people struggling.
Today Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall in south London, blamed the increasing closures of post offices on the government taking work away from them, causing many to lose too much money to be viable.
But the government has not been compensating them by increasing subsidies.
Hoey said "It seems that one part of the Government does not know what other parts are doing. There is nothing joined up about the way the Government has been treating the post office".
Age Concern has also warned that older people in rural areas were becoming more isolated as post offices closed. Margaret Creear, the organisation's campaigns project officer, said "The post office ensures local access for older people to the basic essential services.
"The post office is important for social contact – literally a lifeline – for many older people."
The Government defended its plans by claiming that it was continuing to subsidise the rural network, but that there was "widespread recognition that the current size of the network is unsustainable".
However, they did not clarify who this alleged "widespread" body of opinion consisted of, whereas four million signatures against the closures is a quite clearly 'widespread' body of opinion to the contrary.
The truth is that the government is not prepared to increase the subsidy to keep these important rural lifelines open. If the reason is that they haven't the money, then MPs should not even be considering voting billions more than we already pay away to the audit-failing EU.
Jim Fitzpatrick, the Post Office Minister, decided before Christmas that the Government would close 2,500 loss-making post offices, despite a Federation of Subpostmasters petition collecting four million signatures against the plan.
It has not yet been decided which offices should close, but many are expected to be in rural areas, leaving pensioners and other vulnerable people struggling.
Today Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall in south London, blamed the increasing closures of post offices on the government taking work away from them, causing many to lose too much money to be viable.
But the government has not been compensating them by increasing subsidies.
Hoey said "It seems that one part of the Government does not know what other parts are doing. There is nothing joined up about the way the Government has been treating the post office".
Age Concern has also warned that older people in rural areas were becoming more isolated as post offices closed. Margaret Creear, the organisation's campaigns project officer, said "The post office ensures local access for older people to the basic essential services.
"The post office is important for social contact – literally a lifeline – for many older people."
The Government defended its plans by claiming that it was continuing to subsidise the rural network, but that there was "widespread recognition that the current size of the network is unsustainable".
However, they did not clarify who this alleged "widespread" body of opinion consisted of, whereas four million signatures against the closures is a quite clearly 'widespread' body of opinion to the contrary.
The truth is that the government is not prepared to increase the subsidy to keep these important rural lifelines open. If the reason is that they haven't the money, then MPs should not even be considering voting billions more than we already pay away to the audit-failing EU.
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
NHS deficit rises to over £1.3 billion
The Daily Telegraph reports today that the NHS is sliding further into debt, making further cuts to services more likely.
The total NHS deficit has risen from an original estimate of
£500 million when problems first arose to £1.3 billion today.
The NHS budget is set to break even over this financial year, but only after slashing £450 million from the cost of training NHS staff. NHS chief executive David Nicholson has said that the accumulated deficit would however take years to clear.
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman is quoted as saying "Scores of trusts are under immense pressure to clear historic deficits, and are forced to make cuts in so called 'soft target' services."
There was warning of further trouble ahead for the NHS if such cuts impinge on nurses pay, as a poll for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) revealed that nearly two-thirds of nurses would be willing to take industrial action if they receive an unsatisfactory pay deal this year.
The Times also carries a report on the worsening situation in the NHS, quoting Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the RCN.
Dr Carter said “Ministers today might try to claim a small NHS surplus but this smoke-and-mirrors figure has only been achieved by raiding essential NHS training budgets, freezing posts, shedding jobs and cutting patient services.”
The reality is that all these problems could be solved in the course of a few weeks by drawing a halt to the vast amounts of money currently being sent to the EU. EU auditors remain unable to explain how the "majority" of that money is being spent, while reports of fraud continue to flow. Billions are being wasted and public services suffer while MPs do not act.
At the very least, MPs need to block Blair's unjustified plan to increase payments to the EU by the 60%, by voting against the EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament in the near future.
The resulting proceeds can be immediately redistributed to more urgent public priorities, like maintaining essential local health services. Or rural post offices. Or increasing pensions...
The total NHS deficit has risen from an original estimate of
£500 million when problems first arose to £1.3 billion today.
The NHS budget is set to break even over this financial year, but only after slashing £450 million from the cost of training NHS staff. NHS chief executive David Nicholson has said that the accumulated deficit would however take years to clear.
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman is quoted as saying "Scores of trusts are under immense pressure to clear historic deficits, and are forced to make cuts in so called 'soft target' services."
There was warning of further trouble ahead for the NHS if such cuts impinge on nurses pay, as a poll for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) revealed that nearly two-thirds of nurses would be willing to take industrial action if they receive an unsatisfactory pay deal this year.
The Times also carries a report on the worsening situation in the NHS, quoting Dr Peter Carter, general secretary of the RCN.
Dr Carter said “Ministers today might try to claim a small NHS surplus but this smoke-and-mirrors figure has only been achieved by raiding essential NHS training budgets, freezing posts, shedding jobs and cutting patient services.”
The reality is that all these problems could be solved in the course of a few weeks by drawing a halt to the vast amounts of money currently being sent to the EU. EU auditors remain unable to explain how the "majority" of that money is being spent, while reports of fraud continue to flow. Billions are being wasted and public services suffer while MPs do not act.
At the very least, MPs need to block Blair's unjustified plan to increase payments to the EU by the 60%, by voting against the EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament in the near future.
The resulting proceeds can be immediately redistributed to more urgent public priorities, like maintaining essential local health services. Or rural post offices. Or increasing pensions...
Thursday, 15 February 2007
Richmond: Children's centres hit by cash shortfall
Plans for much-needed children's centres at borough primary schools have hit the rocks because of a £665,000 shortfall in government funding - reports the Richmond & Twickenham Times.
Lowther Primary School, Barnes, was due to submit a planning application for its centre next week, but the cruel blow means the project is now in serious jeopardy because of a lack of cash.
And two other proposed children's centres - at Heathfield Primary and St Richard's, Ham - could also be forced to scale down.
The blow comes as a result of a failed application for additional funding from Richmond upon Thames Council.
Pat Hutchies, headteacher at Lowther Primary School, said north Barnes had been identified by the government as a key area for a children's centre.
She said: "One of the ideas of these types of centre is that they can deliver intermediate services, not just education.
"Health visitors could have a proper space not just a tiny chair in the corner of a room.
"This kind of service is hard to deliver at the moment in the area and it would have just been the most marvellous opportunity for families in the community.
"There will be a significant shortfall in the cost of what we want and what we should be delivering.
"North Barnes deserves the facility so we can deliver hard to access services.
"We are going to be campaigning to get the money - where there's a will there's a way.
"I think if you look at what is right, the community deserves it. It's extrememly disappointing."
She added the idea had been in the pipeline since the early 1990s, but it was only since the government pinpointed the area as part of a wider children's centre plan that dreams started becoming reality.
A Richmond Council spokesman said: "The three new-build children's centres, at Heathfield Infants, St Richard's with St Andrew's and Lowther Primary, are facing a combined shortfall of £655,000.
"The children's centre capital programme consultants, employed by the DfES to oversee the Children's Centre initiative, supported Richmond's request for additional funding.
Subsequently, however, the DfES has, initially, refused the funding.
"If Richmond does not receive the additional funding, then the council will have to rationalise its plans for children's centres schemes in the borough."
Lowther Primary School, Barnes, was due to submit a planning application for its centre next week, but the cruel blow means the project is now in serious jeopardy because of a lack of cash.
And two other proposed children's centres - at Heathfield Primary and St Richard's, Ham - could also be forced to scale down.
The blow comes as a result of a failed application for additional funding from Richmond upon Thames Council.
Pat Hutchies, headteacher at Lowther Primary School, said north Barnes had been identified by the government as a key area for a children's centre.
She said: "One of the ideas of these types of centre is that they can deliver intermediate services, not just education.
"Health visitors could have a proper space not just a tiny chair in the corner of a room.
"This kind of service is hard to deliver at the moment in the area and it would have just been the most marvellous opportunity for families in the community.
"There will be a significant shortfall in the cost of what we want and what we should be delivering.
"North Barnes deserves the facility so we can deliver hard to access services.
"We are going to be campaigning to get the money - where there's a will there's a way.
"I think if you look at what is right, the community deserves it. It's extrememly disappointing."
She added the idea had been in the pipeline since the early 1990s, but it was only since the government pinpointed the area as part of a wider children's centre plan that dreams started becoming reality.
A Richmond Council spokesman said: "The three new-build children's centres, at Heathfield Infants, St Richard's with St Andrew's and Lowther Primary, are facing a combined shortfall of £655,000.
"The children's centre capital programme consultants, employed by the DfES to oversee the Children's Centre initiative, supported Richmond's request for additional funding.
Subsequently, however, the DfES has, initially, refused the funding.
"If Richmond does not receive the additional funding, then the council will have to rationalise its plans for children's centres schemes in the borough."
Wednesday, 7 February 2007
Sheffield: Operations postponed amid flood of emergency patients
A Yorkshire hospital that found itself overloaded with seriously ill patients was forced to postpone 36 operations in two days, reports the Yorkshire Post.
The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said that over the weekend higher than average numbers of emergency patients had over-stretched resources, forcing the Northern General Hospital to postpone 26 operations yesterday and a further 10 today.
The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said that over the weekend higher than average numbers of emergency patients had over-stretched resources, forcing the Northern General Hospital to postpone 26 operations yesterday and a further 10 today.
Many maternity units could be stripped of consultant cover
More hospitals could be stripped of consultant-led maternity units under controversial new plans, according to the Yorkshire Post.
Instead more women will give birth in midwife-led units, with complex cases dealt with in specialist centres.
The switch provoked an outcry in Huddersfield last year when specialist maternity services were switched to Halifax, while further opposition has followed plans to end births at Malton, Whitby and Bridlington hospitals, centralising services in Scarborough.
Ministers have been accused of hypocrisy for opposing such closure plans, which conflicts with government policy.
Dame Karlene Davies, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, is quoted, saying: "Unfortunately, too many recent reconfigurations have led to midwifery care units being threatened with closure, thereby reducing the amount of choice women are able to exercise."
Instead more women will give birth in midwife-led units, with complex cases dealt with in specialist centres.
The switch provoked an outcry in Huddersfield last year when specialist maternity services were switched to Halifax, while further opposition has followed plans to end births at Malton, Whitby and Bridlington hospitals, centralising services in Scarborough.
Ministers have been accused of hypocrisy for opposing such closure plans, which conflicts with government policy.
Dame Karlene Davies, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, is quoted, saying: "Unfortunately, too many recent reconfigurations have led to midwifery care units being threatened with closure, thereby reducing the amount of choice women are able to exercise."
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