Chairman condemns missing politicians

Chairman condemns missing politicians

31 December 2014

DOWN Council chairman Billy Walker has launched a scathing attack on local politicians for not attending a special meeting to discuss service cuts at the Downe Hospital.

Only five councillors attended a recent meeting of the local authority’s Health Committee whose membership includes all of the district’s 23 elected representatives.

The Health Committee meeting on December 17 started with just four councillors and while a fifth arrived, there were not enough politicians to ratify decisions.

As a result of the poor attendance, recommendations to continue working with the Down Community Health Committee on the campaign to oppose service cuts at the Downpatrick hospital and a controversial plan by the South Eastern Trust to introduce parking charges at the Downe and Downshire hospital sites, will now have to be ratified by the full council when it meets early next month.

Councillor Walker has previously criticised his council colleagues for their poor attendance at committee meetings responsible for a range of local authority services and failing to play a full part in the workings of Down Council.

But he was particularly angry after only five attended the recent meeting to discuss important health issues.

The chairman said he was upset a meeting arranged to provide an update on the work being done to oppose bed cuts at the Downe, the closure of the hospital’s dedicated coronary care unit, slashing elective surgery and domicilary care packages, was so poorly attended.

While a number of councillors sent apologies, Councillor Walker argued given the importance of the subjects being debated, “significantly more” than five elected representatives should have been in attendance.

“The poor attendance is a shame and disgrace,” he declared. “While I appreciate councillors can’t attend all the meetings they are supposed to, this was a particularly important one. More councillors should be here.

“The Health Committee is made up of 23 members and yet we just have five here including myself. As a result of the poor attendance we do not have any power to make decisions or recommendations. Anything we decide today will have to be ratified by the full council in January. This is disgraceful.”

Councillor Walker said he was “irked” because councillors who had agreed that a meeting of the Health Committee should be arranged to provide them with an update on the campaign to have service cuts at the Downe overturned were not in attendance.

“People who asked for this meeting have not been bothered to turn up. I have been criticised in the past for having the ‘audacity’ to stand on picket lines with hospital staff opposed to hospital cuts, but am fully behind them and regularly attend meetings of this committee.

“I have been consistent in my opposition to any cuts in local health provision and am here today to hear about what progress council officers are making in challenging the South Eastern Trust.”

Councillor Walker said he was concerned that the poor attendance at such an important meeting would send out the “wrong signal” and while he accepted some of his colleagues may have been working and unable to attend the December 17 meeting, “more should have been there.”

He added: “Councillors submit motions on health issues which results in our officers doing work on their behalf. Quite often, the people who ask for such work to be carried out do not attend subsequent committee meetings when the information they requested is made public. This should not be happening.”

“Unity has been one of the core strengths of the campaign to fight for local hospital services and it will be again. Down Council’s Health Committee meetings must never be so poorly attended again. The ratepayers deserve better.”