Council slams government's 'behind closed doors' approach to Central Beds health centre plans

The criticism stemmed from Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade South councillor Emma Holland-Lindsay during a health-related debate at a full Central Bedfordshire Council meeting.

Councillor Holland-Lindsay, who chairs the local authority’s scrutiny health committee, explained: “One of the frustrations we’ve had is that we’ve an NHS that doesn’t want to engage and doesn’t want to open itself up to scrutiny.

“So I find it outrageous that this neighbourhood health centre plan has been made behind closed doors, and we as elected members don’t have access to that information until it’s being handed down from government which areas are going to get one and which aren’t.

“That to me is disgraceful. I and committee members have been pushing incredibly hard to get the ICB to report. But currently the ICB won’t do that until it’s heard from NHS England about the outcome of those bids.

“That’s incredibly disappointing and speaks to a system that’s not designed for local engagement or participation. We’ll continue pursuing these issues.”

The council still has a stated aim to the public to create health hubs, she added, explaining: “But there’s been no progress on that work during the last few years.

“It would be helpful, while we’re calling our NHS colleagues to account, that we also understand the desire of this administration. Is that health hub programme still live and remains the aspiration, or is it something else?”

Independent Leighton Linslade West councillor Steve Owen said: “I don’t want us to attempt to run the ICB or to make decisions about what it should be deciding.

“I don’t want us to create for ourselves a ‘challenge the ICB’ role, which we don’t have. But I think we have influence and we certainly have a stake in this because we represent communities which need better community health facilities.

“So at the heart of my motion is to understand better what the ICB is doing around the plan it submitted (to the NHS). It’s not on the scrutiny committee work programme.

“The committee also hasn’t received or discussed an officer report asked for in 2024 about what Bedford Borough Council and Milton Keynes City Council are doing differently to allow them to bring forward seven neighbourhood health centres, while we’re waiting for good news from the government.

“If we’re not having the ICB bringing details of what it’s doing with the government, then the executive member ought to be able to fill that gap.”

Independent Ampthill councillor Mark Smith replied: “The four local neighbourhood health centres proposed by the ICB are for Ivel Valley, Leighton Buzzard, Ampthill and Flitwick, and Houghton Regis (Chiltern Vale neighbourhood health area).

“These are among 56 areas put forward by the Central East ICB to government. I’ve been seeking clarity about when these will receive funding.

“An intervention was made by Conservative Mid Bedfordshire MP and Meppershall and Shillington councillor Blake Stephenson to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

“He was told the proposals are being assessed against the published criteria in the neighbourhood health centre guidance. Final decisions on future schemes are yet to be confirmed.

“Projects meeting the specific criteria will be invited to submit a business case, before final decisions are taken. The likelihood is the announcement on these will be after the upcoming budget.”

The motion asking executive member for adult social care and health councillor Smith to provide an update at the next meeting in November on talks with the ICB, and seeking the requested officer report, was carried.