Kirklees Council’s bid to meet with the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has been snubbed.
A letter was sent Mr Hunt urging a discussion about the controversial hospital re-configuration.
Signed by the leader of the council, the chief executive and party leaders, it called for a meeting to put forward the views of the council.
But an official response from the Department of Health has now been received refusing to meet with anyone from Kirklees Council.
Watch: David Sheard speaks from Examiner Battle Bus
Examiner Battle Bus
The two-page letter from Health Minister Ben Gummer repeats the Government’s message that the re-configuration is a “local process” and claims it is “not one being directed from Whitehall.”
Mr Gummer says he does not believe it would be “helpful to meet at this time”.
And in a swipe at councillors’ opposition to the plan he signs off: ”I hope that local community leaders will act responsibly in supporting the NHS to make the clinical judgements on the provision of services that will deliver the highest quality, safe services for patients.”
At an extraordinary meeting of the council last week a motion was passed declaring the council’s “total opposition” to the hospital shake-up plan.
