Health board accused of putting political masters before people's health

Betsi Cadwaladr health board has been accused of putting its political masters before people's health after failing to object to a large housing development on the outskirts of Wrexham.

The health board was consulted about plans to build 455 new houses on green fields next to the A483 on the Mold Road. In its representations to Wrexham Council's planning department, it stated that it had "significant concerns about the sustainability of local Primary Care services if the proposal goes ahead and about the physical space available within current Primary Care facilities to accommodate more patients in the area, as well as clinical staffing concerns."

Despite these serious concerns, the health board did not object to the planning application, which narrowly passed on the planning committee by 7-6.

Councillor Becca Martin, of Plaid Cymru, said everyone in Wrexham was aware of the current pressures on the NHS locally but that the health board ducked the opportunity to stop things getting worse: 

"I'm astounded, as are my Plaid Cymru colleagues on the planning committee, that the health board could express significant concerns about how the NHS locally would cope with these new patients but still not raise a formal objection. Worse still, it didn't request a contribution should be made by the developer to meet future demands on the NHS caused by the new housing estate. 

"I've written to Betsi Cadwaladr's new chief executive to ask why the board has failed to make stronger representations to protect health services locally. To say that it has significant concerns about the sustainability of GP services in the area and then simply roll over and make no formal objection is astounding.

"Many local residents already struggle to access a GP, let alone an NHS dentist, get into A&E or get an ambulance. Now that this housing development has had permission, where are the people that would move onto this estate going to access a GP? The planning authority does acknowledge this development is making things more difficult for the NHS but simply shrugs its shoulders that it's not their problem. That's why our planning system is broken. It's not fit for purpose if it doesn't take a wider view of the impacts of its decisions."

She questioned the motivation behind Betsi Cadwaladr not challenging more strongly: 

"Betsi is in special measures again and that means its being run directly by the Welsh Government. This is the same Welsh Government whose inspectorate has deemed that Wrexham needs thousands of new houses on greenfield sites surrounding the town, where they will merge with neighbouring villages. This was the first of those controversial housing developments and I have to question whether Betsi management decided it was more important to put the wishes of its political masters - the Labour Government - before the health needs of local people. If so, it's an absolute scandal.

"Labour locally has decided that building 3,700 new houses on greenfield sites on three sides of Wrexham is acceptable, regardless of the damage it does to the environment, to our public services and our transport infrastructure. It's jumped in bed with big housing corporations against the wishes of local residents, who have made clear their opposition to this scheme and even bigger plans in the pipeline for the Ruthin Road and Cefn Road."