Councillor criticises NHS for not attending important meetings

He said: “After their non-attendance again at the steering group, it was agreed that I should write to them expressing deep concern at their constant lack of attendance. We need to move on from their failure to progress new facilities on the Morrisons site and elsewhere in the town.”

The steering group brings together local authorities to work together to develop North Littlehampton.

Mr Northeast also criticised the lack of investment in new health facilities in Littlehampton. He said: “It’s ironic that in this year of the NHS’s 70th anniversary, in Littlehampton we have little or nothing to celebrate.

“Our local NHS is in crisis and woefully inadequate for an expanding town and needs action now.”

Dr Sarah Pledger, locality director for Arun and GP at Fitzalan Medical Group, said she was ‘very sorry’ to hear Mr Northeast did not feel the people of Littlehampton were proud of the NHS locally.

She said that the clinical commissioning group (CCG), which oversees the NHS locally, had presented to Arun District Council twice in the last six months, and has a meeting with district, town and parish councillors this month to share their plans.

She said: “There have been changes in leadership at the CCG and the new leadership team are absolutely committed for the local authority and NHS to be closer together to work to improve care for local people.”

Dr Pledger said they would ‘absolutely make sure’ a ‘key representative’ from the CCG is at the next meeting of the steering group in September.