Last weekend I worked alongside the local campaign group, Stroud Against The Cuts to campaign to save the NHS by asking the public and Stroud MP, Neil Carmichael, to support the NHS Reinstatement Bill.

The NHS Reinstatement bill was originally presented to parliament in July and the Tories ‘filibustered’ this bill by taking three and a half hours to discuss an irrelevant, short bill to deport foreign criminals to intentionally block the progress of the bill.

The reinstatement bill calls for an end to the internal market, contracting and to return the NHS to being purely for public provision.

The government’s recent announcement of over £3 billion pounds worth of cuts to the NHS is designed to usher in Privatisation forcing us to pay.

If this seems unlikely, look to London where the ‘Doctaly’ private charges have already been introduced for GP appointments, starting at around £40 and rising to about £70.

In Stroud, we have lost our overnight Minor Injuries Unit and Gloucestershire Care Services ignored over five thousand local people who signed Stroud Labour Party’s petition to keep it open.

Debbie Hicks, Labour County Council candidate for Stroud Central added: “With the recent announcement that Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS trust has an ‘unexpected’ deficit of £11.1 million our local hospital and beloved Maternity Unit will be next if we don’t fight with all our might.”

Our MP, Neil Carmichael, has a duty to act on behalf of the people of Stroud.

I hope that when we present the hundreds of letters local people have signed, he will do more than just listen and go the distance and vote for the NHS Reinstatement Bill on Friday November 4.

Debbie Hicks

Labour County Council candidate for Stroud Central