THE news that councillors in Pershore have agreed the design of the town's new community hospital and medical centre has rightly been greeted with enthusiasm by residents.

The fight for the hospital and medical centre has been long and drawn-out - but it will, we hope, be worth it in the end, when the people of Pershore are able to call upon the sort of health service they deserve.

The public's desire for improved healthcare was made abundantly clear to us earlier this year, during our Save Our Surgeries campaign.

It is pleasing to report that the joint venture between the Primary Care Trust and Wychavon District Council is set to come to fruition.

The same, it must be said, can be said for the situation in Malvern.

Plans for that town's new medical centre and hospital are well advanced - thanks, largely, to the co-operation between South Worcestershire PCT and Malvern Hills District Council.

The council has agreed to move a waste depot, freeing up land for some of the new health services buildings.

All of this, of course, throws into sharp contrast the situation in Worcester, where the city council is refusing to allow permission for a much-needed medical centre in Newtown Road, Ronkswood.

As we said in this column yesterday, the council is insisting that the land is allocated for office blocks and warehouses.

Surely those people that would benefit from this new surgery are no less deserving than the people of Pershore or Malvern?

A little more common sense and a little less red tape would, we believe, be the right approach.