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Rally call to rescurrect scrapped hospital plans
A MASSIVE rallying call is being made for the coalition Government to reverse its decision to shelve plans for a £464m hospital.
Politicians will be calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to find funding for the new site at Wynyard, on the outskirts of Hartlepool, which was ditched as part of a national spending review.
The massive project had been given the go-ahead shortly before the General Election, but was ditched just weeks later.
On Saturday, MPs from around the region, local councillors and Hartlepool residents will make a public stand against the decision to cut the funding.
A rally will be held at the war memorial, opposite Hartlepool Civic Centre, at 2.30pm.
People will be given the chance to sign a petition protesting against the cut as well as signing a letter to be sent to Mr Cameron, asking him to reverse the decision.
The long-planned hospital project was part of a much wider re-organisation of local health services and featured changes to services and facilities across primary, community, secondary and tertiary care services
Hartlepool MP Iain Wright, who will be at the rally, said: "Our town has suffered a considerable knockback from the Conservative Liberal Coalition Government's decision to scrap the 464 million investment for a world class hospital.
"In one of their first decisions, the Government has turned its back on the people of our region.
"Let nobody be in any doubt that this decision hastens the possibility that Hartlepool will have no hospital at all.
"We will have the worst of all possible worlds - no hospital services in Hartlepool, and no world class facility on our doorstep which would be worthy of the needs of our town."
Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond is also backing the protest and rally.
He said: "The Government's decision not to fund the new hospital development is a devastating blow to the future of health care in Hartlepool.
"I don't think they understand the damage this will cause and it needs to be brought to their attention."
Organisers say Saturday's event is the first part of the much longer "Hartlepool IS worth it" campaign aimed at protecting Hartlepool from what they say are 'disproportionate savage cuts' being planned by the Liberal/Tory Coalition Government.
Jonathan Brash, leader of the Labour Group in Hartlepool, said: "This Government has made it clear that the people in most need are going to suffer the most from these cuts.
"Whether it's support for the elderly, the vulnerable, those struggling for work or our young people the attitude of the Con-Dem coalition seems to be 'Hartlepool isn't worth investing in'.
"Well we are going to fight these cuts all the way, and we are asking people to come together on Saturday to unite against them because we all know that Hartlepool IS worth it!"
People can register their details by emailing saveourservices2010@gmail.com or by visiting the facebook group "Why don't the Con-Dems care about us?"
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Weather for Hartlepool
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
