HARTLEPOOL Council has written to the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, seeking a meeting over the town’s hospital services.

The move follows a heated public meeting and an extraordinary meeting of the Council held last week (Monday 24 November) when North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust bosses said they had no plans to re-instate services at the University Hospital of Hartlepool.

At the extraordinary meeting, Councillor Paul Thompson put forward a motion - agreed by all 29 councillors present - which included referring the hospital issue to the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt.

The letter, signed by the town’s ceremonial mayor Councillor Stephen Akers-Belcher, the leader of the council, Councillor Christopher Akers-Belcher and council chief executive Dave Stubbs, which is supported by all Hartlepool councillors, says: “We are writing to you on behalf of Hartlepool Borough Council to highlight exceptionally serious concerns regarding the suitability and effectiveness of current, and future planned, hospital services for Hartlepool and the surrounding communities of Sedgefield, Easington and Peterlee.

“In a very short period of time, 9,800 signatures have already been gathered on a petition for the reinstatement of services and a public meeting on the 24 November 2014, allowed residents to voice their support for front line clinicians, who work under very difficult circumstances, whilst questioning the competency of management and the provision of services that are fit, proper and meet the wishes of local residents.

“We would like to formally refer the concerns of our residents to you with the aim of seeing Hartlepool’s hospital returned to being the hub of excellent health services for the residents of Hartlepool and the its surrounding communities.”