UK Totton Southampton - Report from Councillor David Harrison

I used my first appearance as a member of the Safe & Healthy People Select Committee at Hampshire County Council to ask a question about fluoride in tap water.

Councillor Liz Fairhurst is new in post as "The Executive Member for Health & Well Being (Public Health)". I asked her what the County Council was proposing to do about the illegal decision by Public Health England to continue with the unpopular scheme to add fluoride to our tap water.

Her answer........ "Be Patient".

Now, of course, I don't know if this means that Public Health England may have had a re-think about their strategy, whether the prospect of further legal challenges has changed minds, or whether Hampshire County Council are working behind the scenes to convince Public Health England not to proceed.

This issue has been running some years now. Campaigners have been unstinting in their opposition. Public mood seems to have hardened against the proposals. Much NHS money has been wasted.

A new law has been passed giving local councils the power to decide such matters, meanwhile Public Health England have been saying that they can go ahead on the basis that they are implementing the existing scheme that pre-dated the new law.

My instinct tells me that the plea for me to "Be Patient" probably has some substance behind it. I certainly hope so. As an opposition member of the council, I'm not in a position to tell the conservatives running Hampshire County Council what to do.

I am satisfied that Councillor Liz Fairhurst is all to aware of public opinion on this subject. However, it would do no harm for anyone to impress upon her the importance of making sure this chemical is kept out of our tap water.

You can e-mail Councillor Liz Fairhurst on liz.fairhurst@hants.gov.uk

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Very intriguing.