COLUMN: We will put an end to town's '˜neglect'

NCC has responsibility for public services, the administration of a £475million budget and 9,000 employees, the risk and uncertainty to Mansfield and Nottinghamshire was unacceptable.

Your Mansfield Independent Forum (MIF) county councillors were invited by the leader of the group with the most seats to discuss the possibility of an alliance between the two groups in order to deliver a majority group and thus control the council.

The MIF constitution stressed we have no whip and all members vote with their constituents’ views in mind and in the discussions we stressed that working under a whip was unacceptable.

A new group was formed and named the Conservative and Mansfield Independent Forum Group, formed not out of politics but as a way of moving the county forward and removing uncertainty.

MIF councillors, as part of the new alliance, will be involved in policy and decision making from the inside rather than looking in from the outside. We will put Mansfield’s case strongly at all times and put an end to the neglect, by the last county council administration, I feel our town has suffered since 2013.

I was extremely disappointed to be informed recently that the Post Office is consulting on relocating the Forest Town branch from its current location to the Shell petrol station located a half mile along Clipstone Road West.

The move, if it goes ahead, will cause the community of Forest Town insurmountable problems I feel, particularly those elderly customers who need a local branch to access their pensions, money and to pay bills etc. I feel Post Office Limited is not known for taking notice of consultation submissions but none the less the Forest Town community, supported by local councillors, has expressed its dissatisfaction at the proposed relocation and waits for what they hope will be a change of heart.

Great news, Mansfield District Council’s ASSIST hospital discharge scheme has won the 2017 Shared Learning Award at the National Institute for Health and Care Awards (NICE) Conference. The scheme helps patients who are medically ready to be discharged from King’s Mill Hospital but who also need support to return home. This saves the NHS locally £1.4million a year and helps to free up much needed hospital beds.

Mansfield District Council leads the way in this type of care.