ON one hand Mike Ridley, chairman of the South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, complains of "hostility and opposition" to the consultation process over plans for a new hospital, while urging people to back the PCT. On the other, he threatens to put a stop to the whole process and concentrate on facilities somewhere else in the county.

After 25 years of broken promises on a new hospital, it is not reasonable for Mr Ridley to expect people in Malvern not to be a little suspicious of the process.

The onus is surely on the PCT to win their trust and support and the way to do that is hardly to threaten to pull the plug on yet another new hospital plan!

For Mr Ridley to claim, as he did at this week's PCT meeting in Pershore, that: "As far as the process in concerned there is not local support for the way forward" is a total distortion of the truth.

The problem is that Mr Ridley has thus far not given people a clue as to what that "way forward" might be, no site, no idea what will be in a new hospital, no indication of the budget - how can he say people don't support the way forward when they don't know what it is?

Hopefully, the decision of Malvern Hills District Council to withdraw its offer of the Pickersleigh depot as a possible site for a new hospital will change the nature of the consultation process.

There is now only one possible site, Seaford Court, and the debate at the public meetings planned on February 21 and 22 can concentrate on what services a new hospital would deliver.

If 800 people turn up to both meetings, it will be hard to argue there is no support for a new hospital in Malvern.