Kirklees Council leader hits out at heart surgery decision

Leader of Kirklees Council Mehboob Khan has hit out at the decision to end children’s heart surgery in Leeds. The move means that families will now have to travel to Newcastle or Liverpool for life-saving surgery. He vowed to fight on with supporters to push for the decision to be reconsidered.

“There are many reasons why this decision is a disaster for families in our area. The travelling time, the expense, the loss of expert support from the region, the numbers of people that will need to use the chosen hospitals ," he said.

"600,000 people who signed the biggest petition in the history of the NHS can’t all be wrong! But while we have lost this battle, we must still campaign to win the war and work at the highest levels of government to see the decision overturned. "