Your readers may well remember that some years ago, together with the late Lord Jack Ashley, colleagues in Sutton, and the GMB Trade Union.

I led a Labour Party campaign to save maternity services at Epsom Hospital. We were successful at that time but other services were moved over to St Helier on the basis that a new state of the art hospital was to be built in Sutton.

A huge banner appeared overnight proclaiming that £219 million was available for this new build. Despite George Osborne’s assurance that the money was safe, we now learn that it has been withdrawn.

This could have major repercussions for both Epsom and St Helier hospitals, more especially in the light of Clause 118 of the Care Bill which is just now going through parliament. This clause, if passed, would allow a special administrator appointed to look into the affairs of a failing hospital to close down a nearby hospital if they thought it would be better to do so. Just such a situation arose with the proposed closure of Lewisham hospital.

Under Clause 118 a consultation period of only 40 days would be allowed for CCGs and members of the wider public to put in their objections.

Our MP Chris Grayling believes that this would not create a way of downgrading our two local hospitals, if for example, Kingston or Croydon hospitals were failing and thinks the campaign to stop Clause 118 from going onto the statute books is misplaced.

He is wrong, that is exactly what could happen and with very little time for you to object.

I urge Mr Grayling, who has always said that he would not allow a potential closure of Epsom to happen, to vote against Clause 118 to ensure that the Epsom and St Helier Trust is safe from closure by the back door.

If he votes for Clause 118 he will be sending a clear signal to his constituents that he has failed to grasp the potential damage this action could do.

Councillor Sheila Carlson Prospective Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Epsom & Ewell