RICHARD Adams writes (You Say, April 19), that Mike Foster is making extravagant claims about Worcester's new hospital.

Surely it is not extravagant to claim that as soon as the Labour Government was elected in 1997 the new hospital project was begun?

It is an undeniable fact that Worcester has needed a new hospital for a very long time. But during 18 years of Tory government, nothing happened.

During that time, the Tories obtained massive amounts of money from selling off the nations' assets - gas, electricity, telephones, and railways.

The Tories also gained huge revenues from the sale of North Sea Oil and there was some obscene wealth creation during the periods of boom.

Yet despite all this, the building of the new hospital did not start until Labour came into power.

M WATSON, Hylton Road, Worcester.