Statement from Chair of Sutton Council Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Colin Stears

They are consulting on their proposal to invest in both Epsom and St Helier hospitals and build a new specialist emergency care hospital which could be located at Epsom, St Helier or Sutton hospital.

The Improving Healthcare Together consultation runs from 8 January to 1 April 2020. 

Sutton Council will hold a scrutiny event on 12 February 2020 at 7:30pm, in Sutton Civic Office. Members of the Council’s Scrutiny Committee will ask expert witnesses questions about the proposals outlined in the consultation document, and their implications for the borough and its residents. 

The meeting will be open to the public. The Scrutiny Committee members would value the opportunity to hear the views of the public. The agenda will include ten speaking slots for members of the public to make representations to the Committee on the subject of the current Improving Healthcare Together consultation. The Committee members and witnesses will not respond directly to comments made, but will use the comments to inform their discussions.

The speaking slots will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. These slots will be strictly limited to three minutes each. For those not allocated a speaking slot or unable to attend on the evening, there is an opportunity to submit written comments. These will be published with the meeting papers on the Council website (anonymised). It is important to note that comments should be directed to members of the Scrutiny Committee, not to the expert witnesses. No representations (written or verbal) will be considered as formal responses to the consultation, and individuals are responsible for submitting their own responses directly to the Improving Healthcare Together consultation. 

Anyone wishing to make a representation to the Committee must send a written statement to scrutiny@sutton.gov.uk by 5pm on Monday 3 February 2020. The email should clearly state whether they wish to submit a written statement only or wish to bid for one of the speaking slots at the meeting. They will be informed on Wednesday 5 February whether they have been allocated a speaking slot. 

It is important to highlight that no decisions will be made at the meeting. The purpose of the meeting is for the Committee to gather information and listen to opinions. This will inform the discussion at the Joint Scrutiny Committee, to be held in March. The Joint Scrutiny Committee is formed of members of the Scrutiny Committees of all the local authorities affected by the current consultation proposals. The Joint Committee is the body to make the joint formal response to the consultation and members of the Committee from each local authority will be listening to the views of the residents in their area.

We welcome anybody who wants to watch the proceedings to attend the meeting on 12 February.

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