On Saturday 18th January, people queued in Sowerby Bridge market to sign a petition asking Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group to protect local NHS services from profit-hungry private health companies. Over 80 signatures were added to the petition at the Calderdale 38 degrees NHS campaign group’s information stall.

Mrs Maura Wilson said,

“There is clearly mounting awareness and concern about the privatisation of the NHS and the impact on local services, including the possible removal of A and E from Calderdale. There was a queue to sign the petition and people gave distressing accounts of problems already caused where services are centralised at Huddersfield.

I think what is being done to the NHS is outrageous. Major areas are being privatised and services put at risk. How can it be right for big companies to make profits from the health service? Obviously they will cut services to pay themselves and their backers.”

The campaign group regularly runs information stalls in different Calderdale towns. In Sowerby Bridge market, they handed out leaflets and spoke to members of the public about the stealth privatisation of the NHS which is happening as a consequence of the Health and Social Care Act, passed in 2012 after huge opposition and without any democratic mandate.

38 degrees is a national website for social justice campaigns and petitions. With over 1 million members, it is the one of the UK’s biggest campaigning communities.  Anyone can be a 38 Degrees member. The group operates according to set of shared values: to defend fairness, protect rights, promote peace, preserve the planet and deepen democracy.

The Calderdale group focusses on the NHS. To join the group, you can email calderdale38degrees@gmail.com.