Vince Cable

Figures produced by the local NHS covering the Borough shows that £217 million was spent on the Borough's residents last year (2006/7), £1,340 per head. Health spending fell last year from £224 million the previous year.

The local management of the NHS (including managers in hospitals and GPs' practices) cost £4.5 million, £29 for every resident and this is a slight drop from the previous year.

Vincent Cable MP said that "the local NHS has been through a difficult patch since its spending was cut primarily to bale out the NHS in other parts of London. We must get towards a system where there is more local accountability and responsibility. It is neither fair nor sensible to have a system where some Primary Care Trusts run up large deficits and our Borough NHS, which manages its finances wisely, is then raided for cash."

Vincent Cable also acknowledged the small cut in management costs "In fact, the managers account for only 2% of the budget but there is a popular view that this is where NHS money is going, rather than to the front line."