Consultation News

Senior county councillors will next week be warned that the Friarage Hospital’s A&E department is facing “closure by stealth” amid fresh concerns about the level of services offered at the hospital now and in the future. A three-month trial is currently underway at the Northallerton hospital, with GPs, nurses and paramedics rather than consultants providing urgent care

A cross-party campaign has launched to stop commercial flights at RAF Northolt. Campaigners are concerned that 12,000 commercial flights a year are allowed “without any meaningful consultation” and that the base will turn into “another Luton by the back door.” The Ministry of Defence are now expected to spend £45million to upgrade facilities so runways

Journalists from across Scotland’s media have signed an open letter raising concerns about the way the Scottish government handles freedom of information (FoI) requests. It accuses the government of failing to keep records of information that should be available. And it claims that FoI requests are often screened by special advisers for any potential political

Opposition councillors are set to boycott the Battle of Medway events following the decision to move ahead with a consultation on Sure Start closures. Last night, Medway Council’s Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee voted to begin the consultation despite strong opposition to the plans. The proposal is to close the 19 Sure

Somerset County Council has been accused of washing its hands as the row over proposed road improvements along the A358 Taunton-Ilminster road rumbles on. The criticism was levelled at County Hall after it declined to support calls for a public consultation on dualling the road, along with a bypass around Henlade and a new Junction 25A

Activist lawyers have twice successfully taken legal action over substandard Air Quality Plan and is now returning to court over ministers’ third effort. The Government is to be sued for a third time over its plan to bring air pollution to within legal safety limits by legal activist group ClientEarth, which said there were “major flaws”

When it comes to world-leading health legislation, you might expect it to come from Sweden, which is famous for citizen engagement in the health service, or a large global power. You probably wouldn’t expect it to come out of Wales. And yet, the country’s devolved government is close to enacting another innovative law aimed at bettering the

Huge steps in technology mean changes to routes planes use when flying to and from the airport will go ahead even without a third runway. A public consultation will take place later this year as Heathrow prepares for one of the biggest change to flight paths in its history. The airport told a Heathrow Community