RE bed capacity at Bishop Auckland Hospital. Surely, we need spare capacity leading up to the winter months, when flu is at its most virulent?

I campaigned against the downgrading of the accident and emergency services at Bishop Auckland.

In 2007, I wrote to Norman Lamb, the Lib Dem health spokesman, about my concerns.

Many other local people also objected to it.

Can I remind NHS management that the extra travel time to Darlington from the Bishop Auckland area can be critical.

Have they travelled by bus to Darlington from Weardale or Spennymoor?

Have they noticed that the Darlington Memorial Hospital is old, the building is decaying and it lacks car park spaces for many patients?

I still maintain that the downgrading of Bishop Auckland A&E was a huge mistake.

I want the decision reversed.

That is why I have signed the petition on the Prime Minister’s website and would urge likeminded readers to do likewise.

Councillor Ben Ord, Chairman, Spennymoor Lib Dems