Telford A&E fears 'being considered' by government - PM

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government was considering a council letter

The Prime Minister has said the government is considering a council appeal over the restructuring of hospital services in Shropshire.

Telford's Princess Royal is set to lose its A&E under NHS proposals for the county's acute services.

Rishi Sunak confirmed the government had received a letter from Labour-led Telford and Wrekin Council regarding the matter.

But he added it was right that decisions were made at local level.

In 2018, the government agreed to pay £312m towards a reconfiguration project that would see Telford lose its A&E department. Under the plans, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, 18 miles away, would become Shropshire's main emergency hub.

But the proposals prompted fears that Telford people would have further to travel for such care, which some campaigners said could potentially jeopardise their safety.

Council leader Shaun Davies said the plan was a "downgrade" for Telford residents, and in March submitted a formal legal request asking the government to take a view.

Six months later, despite writing for a second time in July, the council said it was still waiting for a response.

Mr Sunak told BBC Radio Shropshire presenter Adam Green on Thursday: "Supporting the NHS is really important to me.

"When it comes to local services, those are rightly based on clinically led decisions at a local level."

He added, however, the government was "considering a letter from Telford Council regarding the proposals for a reconfiguration of the acute services", saying: "I know that process is ongoing.

"This is not about money, because there is record money going in."

Mr Sunak made his comments during an interview with Adam Green on BBC Radio Shropshire

During the interview, one of a round on BBC Local Radio, the prime minister was played a comment from listener Roz near Shawbury, a village in the county, who asked why rural communities were being ignored.

"We always seem to be last for hospitals and public transport," she said.

Mr Sunak replied that he had "enormous sympathy" for her and pointed to his net zero announcement last week, which delayed the ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars, saying the move was "important for rural communities".

Also asked about the Conservatives losing the North Shropshire constituency last December, a seat they had held for 115 years, Mr Sunak said that mid-term by-elections were "always difficult".