Cotswold District Council merge proposal 'negative' for health care

Health committee members are calling for Cotswold District Council to withdraw from the proposal

A move to merge Cotswold and West Oxfordshire district councils would negatively impact health care, according to some councillors.

The plan would have a "detrimental effect" on hospital admissions among other things, according to the health and care scrutiny committee (HOSC).

Following a meeting they have agreed to officially register their concerns.

The proposal has come out of Oxfordshire, where the creation of four unitary councils is being considered.

Councillor Sue Coakley, Cotswold District Council's cabinet member for health, environment and communities, said the county council's HOSC stance was "speculative", "scare-mongering" and "based on limited information".

Instead she suggested the HOSC "spends more of its effort in addressing the current service inadequacies such as ambulance response times".