

“TIME FOR CHANGE?” URGES HARTLEPOOL UNITED CHAIRMAN WHO PRAISES ROYAL’S SUPPORT FOR THE CLUB
Hartlepool United Chairman Ken Hodcroft has praised Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Richard Royal’s interest and support for the club in his programme notes ahead of the final game of the season, whilst slamming Labour’s Iain Wright. Hodcroft wrote to fans suggesting “maybe it’s time for change?” at the top of Hartlepool politics, urging them to “think carefully about voting for any councillor or MP who does not recognise the importance of this Football Club and its futu


NHS CHIEF OPEN TO HARTLEPOOL HOSPITAL FUTURE AFTER ROYAL QUIZZING
The CEO of NHS England has offered new hope in the row over Hartlepool Hospital after being quizzed by Conservative Candidate Richard Royal. NHS Chief Simon Stevens said that he was opposed to too much centralisation in larger regional hospitals and wanted to “work with local communities who wanted to bring their hospital services back”. At an event with NHS Chief Simon Stevens, Royal posed public questions that local residents desperately want answers to regarding the future
Speech at "We Love Our Hospital" Rally
Richard's speech at the Valentines Day Rally, organised by Save our Hospital and the Teesside Peoples' Assembly Against Austerity: Good morning everyone, and happy Valentines Day! Firstly I want to thank the organisers for putting today’s event together, getting such a wide range of speakers, and ensuring it is conducted in the right manner. I’m not here today to score party political points. I’m not here to suggest that other candidates aren’t passionate and don’t care about


Letter to Jeremy Hunt re hospital
Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP Secretary of State for Health Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2NS 2nd February 2015 Dear Secretary of State, I am writing to you regarding the issue of hospital services in Hartlepool, which you will already be aware of the strength of local feeling about. The Labour Government brushed aside Lord Darzi’s 2005 recommendation to improve existing services at Hartlepool Hospital in favour of closing that facility and building


Hartlepool needs and deserves vital hospital services
I’ve always been impatient. Even before I entered the world. My first act was to insist on being born on a busy May Bank Holiday Monday. In my home town of Bridlington, East Yorkshire, the local hospital and its maternity ward did not open for a further nine years, forcing my Mum to suffer the twenty-three mile ambulance journey to Beverley which, even on a good day, would take upwards of 45 minutes. In this case, Bank Holiday traffic made it significantly longer and inevitab


Hartlepool Masterplan: Please spend our money wisely!
I am pleased to read about the proposed Masterplan to regenerate Hartlepool town centre, albeit equally sceptical of its likelihood to be achieved. But whilst I welcome the intentions behind it, I will stand up for YOUR hard-earned and highly-taxed money to be spent wisely. It would be fantastic if the National Museum of the Royal Navy, which has transformed many similar sites elsewhere, were to create a wider visitors complex at the Maritime Experience and Jackson’s Landing.