Western Daily Press (Saturday)
End’ for hospital
Alternatively, it could be a consultant-led A&E operating 14 hours a day – between 8am and 10pm – seven days a week, with nighttime cases going to other hospitals.
A further suggestion is for a consultant-led and GP-led A&E, operating again for 14 hours a day.
Or the A&E department could be replaced with a GP-led medical emergency centre which would again operate 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
Another option is to set up a GPled urgent treatment centre which would open 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
Councillors shared emotional stories of the support Weston General Hospital had given them.
Among them was Terry Porter, who told the meeting his wife was rushed into the hospital in October in a critical condition and was later moved to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for an operation.
He said: “If the Weston hospital wasn’t there I don’t know what would have happened.
“The last thing we want is a reduction in what we’ve got there. We want to see the A&E restored.
“We can’t afford to risk losing the hospital.”
Weston General Hospital provides services to approximately 150,000 people. That is set to grow to 162,000 by 2025.
Cllr Peter Crew said there should never be any thought of downgrading the services at Weston Hospital because the town was growing and needed the facilities to attract more residents.
Dr Martin Jones, clinical director at Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG, said in a statement: “North Somerset Council is an important partner in the work we are doing to improve all health and care services for local people through the Healthy Weston project.
“Clinicians and directors from the CCG have had a significant number and range of meetings with individual councillors, the health and overview scrutiny panel and MPs about local health services, including the future of Weston Hospital since its overnight closure in the summer of 2017.
“There are more meetings planned with council leaders as we continue our work on proposals for the future of the hospital with local clinicians and other NHS trusts.”
She said: “SSDC Opium Power is the company established to deliver and manage the council’s energy storage investment.
“This urgent decision has arisen due to a short-term cash flow matter, arising in relation to VAT payments and rebates.
“The cash flow matter does not affect the overall cost of the project, which is still within the original budget agreed.”
Langport resident Andrew Lee questioned whether the council had carried out the correct due diligence.
He said: “If you had done due diligence, how is it neither you nor the management company knew the status of VAT for the most substantial element?
“Either you didn’t ask the question or the answer you were given was incorrect.”
The council’s chief executive, Alex Parmley, responded: “We sought specialist advice from a specialist in importing, and the advice was incorrect.
“It isn’t a big issue for the project – the project is on time, and it doesn’t add any additional cost to the project.”
Councillor Henry Hobhouse, port- folio holder for property, climate change and income generation, said written assurance had been given that VAT did not need to be paid.
He said: “We had advice from HMRC and our shippers, both of which said you didn’t have to pay VAT to bring them in.
“We have earned a little bit of interest, and the money will be reclaimed in March.”
The total VAT bill for the project is £1,351,649.84.
If the council had refused to pay it, the containers would have remained in port, causing delays in both time and money to the council.
The £1.35m will be loaned to SSDC Opium Power from the council and will be repaid in March at a commercial interest rate of 5.25 per cent.
The total amount to be repaid will be £1,422,611.46, meaning the council will earn nearly £71,000 from the loan.
Mr Hobhouse added: “The fact is the council is slightly better off now than before we did this.”
Councillor Sue Steele, who sits on the council’s scrutiny committee, said she hoped this course of action would not have to be repeated.
She said: “This is something that the council should have known about at an earlier stage.
“I hope that we’ve learnt a lesson and will be very careful in future, certainly when it’s a considerable amount of money, as this is.”
The fact is the council
is slightly better off now than before we
did this CLLR HENRY HOBHOUSE