Calderstones staff call for MP meeting over closure

Glen Harrison, Chris Chamley and Matt Riggs outside Mr Evans' office.

They claim they have had no reponse from Nigel Evans despite inviting him to meet them over the Whalley hospital’s three-year run-down to closure, proposed by NHS England.

A deputation from Unison, the main union at Calderstones, carried their banner to Mr Evans’s constituency Conservative office in Railway View, Clitheroe, expecting to find it open, but found it closed.

“When the closure of Calderstones was announced, Mr Evans said he would be prepared to meet us any time. We’ve emailed him, but he hasn’t responded to our invitations,” said Chris Chamley, Unison branch secretary at Calderstones. “We decided to go straight to his office to try and see him there.”

Mr Evans replied that he had been expecting someone from Calderstones at a scheduled surgery but they had not turned up, but it appeared this was on a different matter.

He said he was was hoping to arrange a meeting with Calderstones representatives on January 4th.

Meanwhile, the Calderstones unions are hoping for a major response to their online E-petition on the UK Government’s website: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/116339

Within a few days of being launched, it had gained around 1,000 names.

If it gets 10,000 signatures, the Government must respond to the petition, and at 100,000 signatures it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

Mr Chamley added: “Union branches and trades union councils all over the country are being asked to support the petition, and it’s spreading on social media.”

The petition says Calderstones is the only one of its kind, supporting adults with learning difficulties who have committed criminal offences.

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