Fate of Finsbury Health Centre must not be left in Cameron's hands, Lib Dems warn

3.07.00pm GMT Wed 3rd Mar 2010

Bridget Fox and local Liberal Democrats are campaigning to save local health services.

Liberal Democrats on Islington Council's Health Committee are warning that the fate of the Finsbury Health Centre must be decided urgently by the Government - and not left for a David Cameron Conservative Government to make the final decision. The Liberal Democrats have slammed Labour Ministers for leaving its future hanging in the balance, and called for a last-minute reprieve for the historic centre.

The council committee has been hearing evidence on the future of Finsbury Health Centre, and should have referred the decision to the Secretary of State - the highest authority, who has the final say on saving the Finsbury clinic. But Labour members of the committee continued to play 'pass the parcel' with the issue, sending it back to local PCT bureaucrats.

Liberal Democrats are warning that the Health Minister must act immediately to save the historic health centre, or risk a Tory Government allowing the NHS to close the building.

Lib Dem committee member Cllr Jyoti Vaja said:

"Labour's stewardship of the NHS has been a financial disaster. Labour's legacy is a mountain of debt and the threatened closure of important health facilities, including the Whittington A&E and the Finsbury Health Centre. The NHS has lost all ability to manage its assets sensibly - the committee heard evidence that it makes no financial sense to close the health centre."

"We can't trust the Tories to protect our local health services. The Government should have acted to save our local services years ago, not allowed it to reach crisis point. And local Labour politicians wasted yet more time by coming up with crackpot schemes like robbing other community funds to bail out the NHS.

"The Government must act right now. This is the crunch time for the Finsbury Health Centre."