I READ, with great interest, your excellent coverage of the national and county elections (Shuttle/Times & News, May 12).

I am wondering what would have been the result of the St Mary's ward had the voters been privy to Paul Mills' comments before the election and following his "shock" election, and I quote: "The hospital should no longer be a major issue. It's gone, what's done is done and we are moving on".

So are we all to assume that the official Labour Party line is that there will be no hospital in Kidderminster in the near or distant future and that neither local nor county councillors in the Labour Party are willing, or going, to fight for the hospital to be restored?

I hope the Labour Party will advise the citizens of Kidderminster that this is their policy so that at the next elections they can be shown the contempt in which they are held by the electorate who have once again elected an independent Member of Parliament who is fighting to restore the hospital facilities.

Or, as usual, will they "disassociate" themselves from "inane" comments?

R HOUGHTON

Chester Road South

Kidderminster