I would like the opportunity to respond to Cllr Asif Khan and his letter in last week’s edition titled “A long enough wait”.

Mr Khan takes issue me welcoming the possibility that Sajid Javid, Health Secretary, will scrutinise West Herts Hospital Trust’s decision making process. My response is that if the trust have followed the correct process and made the correct decisions, then Mr Khan has nothing to be concerned about.

Mr Khan makes no mention in his letter that Watford General and the A&E department not only serve Watford but also other large towns and cities in west Herts. Fairer access to all in west Herts does not appear to be high on Mr Khan’s wish list for the hospital trust’s redevelopment plans!

Mr Khan then goes on to say the following about Sajid Javid’s possible scrutiny of the trust’s plans “potentially reneging on building plans at Watford General”.

Mr Khan, what exactly are West Herts Hospital Trust’s plans for Watford General Hospital? You have the cheek to take a dig in your letter referring to “Taylor’s Towers” but fail to mention the trust’s planning application for an 18-storey, high-rise hospital redevelopment - really?

Mr Khan then takes the opportunity in his letter to have a dig at the Conservative/Liberal Democrats coalition and so-called plans that Labour had for a new hospital in 2010. That is the problem with politicians, they never miss an opportunity to put down their opponents rather than concentrating on the real issue which is what hospital solution would best serve west Herts for the next 50 years plus.

Mr Khan finishes by saying: “Mr Love’s stated aim of stopping the redevelopment of Watford of its hospital in its tracks is not something to be welcomed from any quarter”.

Mr Khan, you need to get your facts straight before you make totally incorrect and misleading statements like that. I have never said that Watford General should close or not be redeveloped. Watford does need its own hospital, just like St Albans and Hemel Hempstead. What I have always stated is that the acute services hospital for west Herts needs to be in a more central and accessible location for the whole population of west Herts. St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead hospitals have both lost their A&E departments but their hospitals remain open in some capacity.

Mr Khan needs to take a look at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust’s redevelopment plans for a brand new health campus on a new site in Harlow. Would he really turn down Harlow’s trust’s plans in favour of refurbishing the current and cramped Vicarage Road site? Mr Khan also needs to bear in mind the disruption and inconvenience that staff, patients and visitors will have to endure for many years should the WHHT’s redevelopment plans go-ahead at Vicarage Road!

I only wish that all local politicians would put aside their political agenda and support a more central west Herts site solution that would give the majority of west Herts residents good access to a new ‘state of the art’ A&E hospital and health campus - just like the government have recently committed to in Harlow!

Andrew Love

St Albans resident