Thursday 26 May 2011

www.soundoffforjustice.org

I do hope my MP isn't getting annoyed at me, after all, this is the second time I have written to him in a short space of time.

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Dear Mr Djanogly,


As one of your constituents, I am writing to ask you to consider signing Early Day Motion 1194: which calls on the government to reconsider its proposed cuts to Legal Aid.


These cuts will threaten access to justice for millions of people, with legal areas such as medical negligence, employment, immigration, welfare and family law being affected or take completely out of scope. I was alerted to the campaign, and have copied a section of this letter from the recommended text, but I have also tailored it myself.


The “Sound Off For Justice” campaign - for the positive reform of Legal Aid, (www.soundoffforjustice.org) - has consulted lawyers and those that will be directly affected by the proposed cuts. They are now suggesting alternative reforms to the current system. Importantly these reforms will ensure that the required savings can be made whilst safeguarding the public right to legal support and access to justice. It is of utmost importance that these alternatives are reviewed before the governmental response to the reforms on Legal Aid are published and subsequently go to the vote in the Treasury.


I am supporting the “Sound Off For Justice” campaign because I want to protect access to justice for the millions that stand to become more vulnerable should the Government's proposed reforms be accepted. I was surprised, but encouraged, to see your picture in issue 1289 of “Private Eye” at the recent “Sound Off For Justice” march. Would it be correct to assume that your agreeing to be pictured at the protest signals your agreement with the protest’s aims? I would find it very confusing if you didn’t support the aims of the protest that you went to the march, dressed casually.


May I encourage you to write separately to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Rt Hon. Kenneth Clarke QC, MP, to express concerns on my behalf?

Thank you in anticipation of your support,


Yours sincerely


Ste Greenall
Snowy Way
Hartford
HUNTINGDON

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In many ways, this campaign reminds me of what our Liberal Democrat group on HDC is trying to do with regard to the voluntary sector grants - i.e. to protect the funding and seek more sensible - and fair - savings elsewhere.

I hope the campaign is a great success





Tuesday 17 May 2011

On 27th April, the Public Accounts Committee reported on the planned shake-up of the NHS. They said that “pushing through the changes while seeking £20 billion in efficiency savings may damage front-line services.” So I wrote to our MP Jonathan Djanogly, asking if he shared the concerns of that committee, which comprises MPs from all sides. Amongst a number of questions I asked, I was particularly keen to hear how Hinchingbrooke Hospital could be affected. Here's what I sent:

Dear Mr Djanogly,



Do you share the concerns of the Public Accounts Committee about Andrew Lansley's NHS plan? Please could you tell me what you will do to make sure their concerns are listened to?


I am not convinced that Andrew Lansley wants to listen to anyone about his NHS plans. The listening exercise seems like it might just be a PR stunt.


Where do you stand on making real changes to Lansley's NHS plans? For example will you push to remove promotion of competition within the NHS and place the focus on cooperation and quality of care instead? And how will it affect Hinchingbrooke Hospital, a place dear to me, having used it, and my son Ben was born there.


Yours sincerely,


Ste Greenall

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The reply I received answered some of my more general questions but made no reference at all to Hinchingbrooke. What’s more, the reply “answered” two points that were not even in my letter! This led me to wonder if I had merely received a standard reply, rather than a more specific one. Surely even a standard reply from the Huntingdon MP should include a reference to the main hospital in his constituency? After all, on his own website back in November, Mr Djanogly wrote “Hinchingbrooke Hospital is a well used and much admired local health facility. I will be looking to ensure that the level of care service provision is maintained at the current level.”

Here is the reply:

Dear Mr. Greenall,



Thank you for contacting me about the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)'s report into the NHS Landscape Review.


I would like to reassure you that the Government’s listening exercise is genuine. Ministers are taking the opportunity of the natural break in the legislative process to pause, listen, reflect on and improve these plans for NHS modernisation. Where there are good suggestions to improve the legislation and the implementation of our plans, changes will be made.


Although the PAC agreed that the Government's plan to modernise the NHS could help the NHS become a more efficient service, the PAC also asked a number of important questions about the modernisation plans. The Government recognises the importance of addressing these questions, and will seek to do so with the help of other frontline NHS staff, patients and members of the public during the listening exercise.

About the issue of trialling the Government's plans. The Government established its programme of 'pathfinders' late last year, to help test the NHS modernisation plans and ensure they work in the best interests of patients. The lessons learned from the pathfinder programme will feed into the listening exercise, helping ensure that the plans are improved still further.


Thank you for contacting me on this issue.


Yours sincerely,


Jonathan Djanogly
 
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I have had cause to use A & E at Hinchingbrooke twice myself in the past, and my son was born there. For that reason if no other, it has a place in my heart. Last year, our MP said “This is a testing time for Hinchingbrooke .......”let us all get behind our valued local hospital and not let constructive debate become damaging sniping.”

I hope Mr Djanogly doesn’t think that I am sniping in a damaging way. Hence, I do look forward to the results of Andrew Lansley’s listening exercise, which Mr Djanogly assures me is genuine. I sincerely hope that where good suggestions are made to improve the NHS, they are taken on board. After all, David Cameron promised last year “I'll cut the deficit, not the NHS." With the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing warning that the proposed NHS shake up represents a privatisation of the health service, we must hope Mr Cameron and his MPs are being sincere with us.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Yes to AV......and a big yes for Kev Sumner

Only a day to go, leaflets have been delivered, doors knocked on, boards put up - the latest in Sparrowhawk Way (thanks David) - and tomorrow, the voters will decide.

It's looking like the AV vote isn't going the way of the YES campaign, but I feel quietly confident that Kev Sumner is going to join Mike Shellens and I as District Councillors in Huntingdon East. I had been anticipating a lot of grief at the doorsteps, but what came as a very pleasant surprise were (a) the number of people who said "you are doing a good job" (b) the number who recognised me, and said they'd voted for me last year (among the 2,075 !!) (c) that they were going to continue to support the Lib Dems.

That can only mean, in my eyes, that at least in our little patch, we have shown that we are true to our word, and we have done what we promised - to work hard, to scrutinise, to take on casework, and to ensure that the Conservatives don't get it all their own way.