At the last City Council I moved the following resolution to protect our Local Pharmacies here in Wednesfield and across the City. I felt it was a bad decision by Government to make the cuts that they were making to support for Local Pharmacies. I wanted Wolverhampton to vent its concern to Government with the City standing together.
I appealed to our local Conservatives asking them to consider their local Pharmacies future. This loss of funding will impact heavily on jobs in the local stores. Plus it may also force drastic closures on others.
Sadly the Local Conservative Party voted against that resolution. I then called for a ‘named’ vote. The Conservatives all voted against the resolution. So much for their Local Interest in Independent Pharmacies in their own Wards…perhaps you will remind them if your local Pharmacy loses staff or looks like failing. Here are the names of the Councillors who supported the motion., and those that voted against…….
Motions on Notice
Local impact of national cuts to community pharmacies
Councillor Phil Bateman moved the following motion:
That this Council notes with concern the government announcement on 14 October
2016 that it is reducing funding for community pharmacies by £113m in the four
months from December 2016 – March 2017.
This equated to an average loss of £8,000 for each pharmacy in Wolverhampton,
representing a 12% cut. In addition the timing of this announcement means it is
required to be delivered in a very short time scale, leaving local pharmacies very little
time to plan or implement.
A further cut of £208m, on average £14,500 per pharmacy in Wolverhampton, will be
imposed next year.
These cuts will have a direct negative impact on the Council’s strategic priorities
related to Public Health as well as the possible closure of local pharmacies across
the city, leading to a reduction in accessible healthcare for vulnerable communities,
and increased pressure on other parts of the health and social care systems.
We therefore call on the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board to write to our local
MPs raising these concerns and asking them to lobby government to highlight the
local impact of this national policy.
Councillor Steve Simkins seconded the motion and outlined the importance of
supporting community pharmacies and highlighted the impact of a closure of a
pharmacy in his ward.
Councillor Wendy Thompson outlined the rationale why government were making
changes to funding for community pharmacies and emphasised that instead funding
would be transferred into the NHS to fund vital services. She requested that Health
Scrutiny consider the item in detail.
Councillor Phil Bateman urged Councillors to support the motion and support the pharmacy businesses in Wolverhampton.
Upon being put to the meeting, and a division having been demanded and taken
voting thereon was as follows:
For
Councillors
Bagri Banger M Bateman
P Bateman Bedi Bilson
Bolshaw Brackenridge Claymore
Collingswood Darke S Evans
V Evans Gakhal Gibson
Gwinnett Hardacre Hodgkiss
Inston M Jaspal Johnson
Kaur Koussoukama Lawrence
Malcolm Miles Moran
Muston O’Neill Page
Potter Reynolds John Rowley
Judith Rowley Russell Samuels
Siarkiewicz Simkins M Singh
T Singh Sweet Sweetman
Warren
Against
Mayor
Councillors
Haynes Mills Patten
Photay P Singh U Singh
Thompson Findlay
Resolved:
That motion on local impact of national cuts to community pharmacies be
agreed.
