Like 'East and West Berlin': Shrewsbury Tory blasts party colleagues over A&E revamp delays
The Conservative candidate for Shrewsbury has said his former Tory colleagues in the region had tried to block the party's plans to revamp A&E in the county.
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Shrewsbury candidate Daniel Kawczynski told the BBC that former fellow Conservative MPs Mark Pritchard (Wrekin) and Lucy Allan (Telford) both tried to hamper the plans.
The 'Future Fit' plans affect Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford – both managed by Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).
Under the plans RSH will become home to the county's only 24-hour A&E, along with consultant-led women and children's services – which will relocate from PRH.
However, the plans, which only received planning permission earlier this year, have taken seven years to get to this stage despite funding being granted in 2017.
Speaking to BBC Radio Shropshire on Tuesday, Mr Kawczynski said he and fellow Tory MP Philip Dunne secured the funding for the proposals seven years ago and have been hampered ever since.
He told the programme: “The two Conservative MPs for Telford and Wrekin refused to understand the interdependence.
“I believe that they, in conjunction with Shaun Davies (Telford & Wrekin Council Leader) have done everything conceivable in order to prevent these changes from happening, yes.”
He continued: “We secured the funding seven years ago There is this tug of war. Every other county understands we are interdependent with each other. Here in Shropshire it is like East and West Berlin.”
Mr Pritchard, who is the Conservative candidate for Wrekin, and Ms Allan who has stepped down and is now backing Reform, have been approached for comment.
