ACCESS to GPs, new housing developments, and details about the new Wellington station were the big issues which came up at a recent public meeting in the town.

More than 60 residents attended the forum – organised by the Wellington branch of the Liberal Democrats.

The panel of four answering questions were: David Northey, former Network Rail planner; Dr Harry Yoxall, retired GP and NHS administrator; Melissa Whittaker from Cash Access UK, providers of the new Fore Street banking hub; and Gideon Amos, Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate and town planner by profession.

“We had a terrific span of knowledge and experience on the panel, and they came up with good answers and explanations to some very tough questions,” said Cllr Keith Wheatley, who chaired the meeting.

“I don’t think many people had fully understood how many new services and responsibilities Wellington’s town council is going to have to take on as Somerset Council withdraws into providing almost the statutory minimum.”

Dr Yoxall gave statistical examples of how demand for GP interaction had risen per patient, while the actual number of doctors available had fallen, but did explain that recruitment of GPs in Somerset had actually improved recently.

Ms Whittaker reassured one questioner that, although the new Banking Hub was in temporary premises next door to the museum, lease negotiations were almost concluded to give it a permanent base in Wellington town centre.

Sadly, she also confirmed there was no prospect of their hub becoming a Post Office.

Mr Northey shared her thoughts on how the new station should be looked at as bringing people into Wellington as well as providing outbound travel.

Drawing on his own professional experience with the reopening of the Exeter-Okehampton rail service, he said that the West Devon town centre was being rejuvenated by an influx of visitors.

In a speech, Mr Amos told the meeting that many of the problems of local government could only be fixed by an urgent re-organising of the financial relationship between Westminster and the rest of the country.

A major job for a new Parliament where he intends to sit as the newly-elected MP for Taunton and Wellington.

In response, Rebecca Pow, Conservative MP for Taunton Deane, said: “It is disappointing that the Wellington Liberal Democrats yet again wanted to put a negative spin on so much of the good that is being achieved in the area, much of which I have worked hard to deliver as our MP working with so many excellent local stakeholders.

"On the subject of the health service, significant progress has been made to make it easier to get a GP appointment and end the 8am rush, by investing in technology and recruiting more staff to look after patients.

"In Somerset, in the 12 months to December 2023 there were 101,654 more appointments than in the 12 months to December 2019 – which is welcome progress and there are now some really successful new models being rolled out through many GP practices, with 25% of the population in Somerset served by GP practices under the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

"It is a shame that at their meeting my political opponents failed to flag the remarkable progress that has been made at Musgrove Park Hospital.

"I have worked closely with the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to secure £87m for the new surgical centre being built right now, to deliver the acute assessment hub and now we are working on the strategic business case for the full upgrade of the whole site, focusing on the maternity unit first.

"I am also securing a meeting with the Secretary of State for Health to come and see the site for herself shortly.

"Significant progress has been made to progress a rail station for Wellington.

"The full business case has been submitted to the Department for Transport and as the Liberal Democrats know full well I have championed this since becoming our MP, being in a position to not just chair our metro rail committee locally but to have the ear of Government which has helped make our case and secure funding.

"It was heartening that the Prime Minister himself recently gave his commitment to the scheme.

"I visited the new banking hub in Wellington last week and was delighted to see that it is working extremely well and is welcomed by those using it.

"In terms of Wellington Town Council taking on increasing services and responsibilities from Somerset Council, had the now Liberal Democrat run Council instigated the plans for the unitary (developed by the previous Conservative Council) immediately rather than wasting a whole year, they would be in a much better financial position than they are currently and services would not have had to be transferred to the Town Council.

"This was the Liberal Democrats opportunity to play a significant role but they failed to take it.

"Whilst my political opponents as ever are fixated on talking down the area, I’m proud to have been acting on behalf of my constituents to deliver on a number of major projects and improved services for everyone.”