LAST year, following a period of public consultation, the people in our community were told by Oxfordshire County Council that our Hospital Intermediate Care Beds and the nurses staffing them would be in the NHS covered by a five-year contract.

Now less than 12 months later, Oxfordshire County Council wants to rip up that commitment and place the contract with the private provider that is currently running our care home.

This is an organisation where we are told less than five in 100 of their Oxfordshire staff are registered general nurses.

If this is true, how can they match the service and expertise of the NHS?

I am amazed that at an organisation like Oxfordshire County Council and its leader Ian Hudspeth cannot be trusted to honour commitments made just last year.

Based upon letters we have received, the breaking of these promises appears to be in complete defiance of the Prime Minister, who is also our Witney MP and supports the NHS.

I am appealing to Cllr Hudspeth to reconsider this action and honour the commitments made to the people in our community less than a year ago and which, some have cynically noted, were broken straight after the General and Local elections.

I would also urge people in the community to let Cllr Hudspeth know how they feel.

CLIVE HILL
Ledwell
Chipping Norton