October marks the return of Parliament after Conference Recess, and I want to share what has been happening in September – a month that brought some significant moments for Cirencester.
The most important was a meeting on 9 September with Karin Smyth, the Minister for Health Secondary Care, specifically about Cirencester Hospital’s daytime operating theatre. I went to Westminster to press for three things: confirmation that the evaluation process for the temporary suspension is being followed correctly, assurance that residents and local MPs will be properly involved before any permanent decisions are made, and a clear timetable for when that evaluation will conclude. The Minister engaged seriously with the concerns I raised. I will share more detail with residents as the process develops, but I want to be clear that this meeting marks a step forward – and that I will not stop pressing until those assurances are given in writing and honoured in practice. The people of Cirencester have waited long enough for certainty about the future of their hospital, and they deserve a straight answer.
On 6 September I was at the Parish Church of St John Baptist for the Thanksgiving Service marking the conclusion of the Winstone Charitable Trust – and I had the privilege of reading the lesson. The Trust was established through the bequest of Mrs K D Winstone for the benefit of the people of Cirencester, and over twenty years it has made grants to fourteen local charities and community organisations. Over two hundred people attended, including representatives from every organisation that had benefited. It was a room full of the quiet, purposeful work that holds this community together, and a reminder of what thoughtful private generosity can achieve when it is directed well over a long period of time. My congratulations to everyone connected with the Trust.
In Parliament I also met the Defra minister responsible for sewage reporting in September, following my contribution at PMQs in July on the volume and duration of sewage dumps by water companies. The case I made was for real-time, publicly available reporting requirements – without that transparency, neither communities nor regulators can act effectively. The Churn and the rivers running through this part of the constituency deserve better protection than they currently have.
If you have a concern to raise, please do get in touch.
Warm wishes,
Roz Savage MP
Tel: 01285 286 160 | roz.savage.mp@parliament.uk
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