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9:20am Friday 24th July 2009 in
HEALTH regulators will not scrutinise the controversial decision to fluoridate Hampshire water supplies.
The health service ombudsman says it won’t examine concerns over South Central Strategic Health Authority’s (SHA) public consultation on the scheme because of a potential legal challenge going through the courts.
But they left the door open to carrying out an investigation if the judicial review fails to answer campaigners’ complaints.
New Forest East MP Julian Lewis and Totton county councillor David Harrison jointly asked the regulator to examine the way the SHA carried out last year’s consultation, before giving the scheme the go-ahead in February.
They claimed the authority had been “hopelessly biased” in its advice to residents on the arguments surrounding the plans to add fluoride to the tap water delivered to nearly 200,000 homes.
The politicians are also unhappy because they believe health bosses ignored public opinion by approving fluoridation for parts of Southampton, Eastleigh, Totton, Netley and Rownhams.
The Daily Echo has backed campaigners' calls for a referendum on the scheme, giving residents the final say on the plans.
Dr Lewis said the ombudsman’s decision is disappointing, but not a major setback.
“Of the two methods of tackling this problem, the judicial review is undoubtedly more important,” he said. “It would be valuable if the ombudsman eventually condemns the flawed and biased consultation staged by the SHA.
“However, the intervention of the court, if successful, would be a far bigger setback to the pro-fluoride fanatics.”
More than 10,000 people responded to the 14-week consultation, with 72 per cent of those from the affected area saying they were opposed to the plans.
In a separate phone poll of 2,000 residents, 38 per cent were against fluoridation compared to 32 per cent who said they supported it.
The SHA has always insisted it met or exceeded all its legal obligations in carrying out the consultation, and they took people’s views on board before approving the plans.
Guidance said bosses also had to consider scientific evidence before agreeing or rejecting a scheme.
The ombudsman said that, although the issue is one it might normally investigate, it would be inappropriate to do so until the conclusion of any court proceedings.
A high court judge is currently considering whether there is a case to answer against the SHA.
But the ombudsman added that it would assess a further complaint if the judicial review leaves any unanswered questions.
Councillor Harrison said: “It must be increasingly obvious to the SHA that it cannot proceed without public consent. Even if the legal challenge fails, it will have to overcome a ruling by the ombudsman.”
Comments(26)
Bartonian
says...
11:35am Fri 24 Jul 09
Paramjit Bahia
says...
11:51am Fri 24 Jul 09
damien thorn
says...
11:51am Fri 24 Jul 09
Paramjit Bahia
says...
11:54am Fri 24 Jul 09
Bartonian wrote:No it most certainly is not drastic. In fact to me it sounds like most reasonable response.
If everyone who is against this, refused to pay their water rates then pressure would be put on these authorities. Sounds drastIc, but it could be the only way to make an effective stand.
soton-mike80
says...
11:55am Fri 24 Jul 09
Bartonian wrote:Great idea - If everyone didn't pay the water rates then they would soon throw this Fluoride thing out, but you would have to convince the entire affected population to do it for them to feel the pinch.
If everyone who is against this, refused to pay their water rates then pressure would be put on these authorities. Sounds drastIc, but it could be the only way to make an effective stand.
Andy Locks Heath
says...
1:08pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Paramjit Bahia wrote:Well most of the "People" have not spoken, Paramjit. I know there is an excitable minority who see this is as an infringement of human rights etc and another paranoid bunch fuelled by incorrect and innacurate internet garbage who are convinced it is going to kill them. But then there are around 80% of the electorate who haven't voiced an opinion either way. Me - I don't believe the government are trying to kill me and I don't believe this is part of some kind of new world order conspiracy to medicate me against my will, and I'll bet you not one of us so much as gets ill from fluoride either - We've all been brushing our teeth with fluoridated toothpaste for decades FFS! I'm afraid we'll all continue to die of the same old usual boring old causes. Pass the Sunny Delight.
Bartonian wrote:No it most certainly is not drastic. In fact to me it sounds like most reasonable response.
If everyone who is against this, refused to pay their water rates then pressure would be put on these authorities. Sounds drastIc, but it could be the only way to make an effective stand.
Power to the people!
Pam W
says...
1:27pm Fri 24 Jul 09
southy
says...
1:33pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Oracle1
says...
1:42pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:There are consciously thinking people that have gone to a lot of time and effort, and using logical reasoning to be informed on this issue. Again, your comments portray people as a lunatic fringe minority that jump on any band wagon going. This is not about infighting, and "you're right & I'm wrong". At the end of the day, plenty is wrong in this world and politicians are not fixing the issues, peoples rights are clearly being eroded, as if we can not take personal responsibility for our own lives. Plenty can and want to, this flies in the face of personal freedoms and choice.
Paramjit Bahia wrote:Well most of the "People" have not spoken, Paramjit. I know there is an excitable minority who see this is as an infringement of human rights etc and another paranoid bunch fuelled by incorrect and innacurate internet garbage who are convinced it is going to kill them. But then there are around 80% of the electorate who haven't voiced an opinion either way. Me - I don't believe the government are trying to kill me and I don't believe this is part of some kind of new world order conspiracy to medicate me against my will, and I'll bet you not one of us so much as gets ill from fluoride either - We've all been brushing our teeth with fluoridated toothpaste for decades FFS! I'm afraid we'll all continue to die of the same old usual boring old causes. Pass the Sunny Delight.
Bartonian wrote:No it most certainly is not drastic. In fact to me it sounds like most reasonable response.
If everyone who is against this, refused to pay their water rates then pressure would be put on these authorities. Sounds drastIc, but it could be the only way to make an effective stand.
Power to the people!
HowDictorial
says...
2:46pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:At the end of the day the simple fact is,,,alot of people DO NOT WANT FLUORIDATION OF THERE WATER.....for various reasons.So therefore make it available for those who DO WANT IT ie;Andy Locks Heath ...as you dont seem to have a problem with it,i believe we should ere on the side of caution.I doubt very much that any deaths with even a hint of Fluoride related contributing factors would ever be allowed to become PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE anyway.
Paramjit Bahia wrote:Well most of the "People" have not spoken, Paramjit. I know there is an excitable minority who see this is as an infringement of human rights etc and another paranoid bunch fuelled by incorrect and innacurate internet garbage who are convinced it is going to kill them. But then there are around 80% of the electorate who haven't voiced an opinion either way. Me - I don't believe the government are trying to kill me and I don't believe this is part of some kind of new world order conspiracy to medicate me against my will, and I'll bet you not one of us so much as gets ill from fluoride either - We've all been brushing our teeth with fluoridated toothpaste for decades FFS! I'm afraid we'll all continue to die of the same old usual boring old causes. Pass the Sunny Delight.Bartonian wrote: If everyone who is against this, refused to pay their water rates then pressure would be put on these authorities. Sounds drastIc, but it could be the only way to make an effective stand.No it most certainly is not drastic. In fact to me it sounds like most reasonable response. Power to the people!
Bartonian
says...
3:18pm Fri 24 Jul 09
HowDictorial wrote:A lot of people feel sick and tired by the way certain people want to play around with our water supply. This is much the same way as supermarket lobbyists, who want to play around with our food by genetically modifying it. Like water, the quality of our food today has declined dramatically and health experts should realise that all the processed rubbish that we fill up our troleys with, has had a detrimental effect on the nation's health. If they think that flouride will improve public health, they better think again. It just shows that once again, corporate intersts are in charge of our lives, and i wish that, along with boycotting our water bills, we could send home the message to large supermarkets by boycotting the rubbish they sell in their mega-markets.
Andy Locks Heath wrote:At the end of the day the simple fact is,,,alot of people DO NOT WANT FLUORIDATION OF THERE WATER.....for various reasons.So therefore make it available for those who DO WANT IT ie;Andy Locks Heath ...as you dont seem to have a problem with it,i believe we should ere on the side of caution.I doubt very much that any deaths with even a hint of Fluoride related contributing factors would ever be allowed to become PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE anyway.Paramjit Bahia wrote:Well most of the "People" have not spoken, Paramjit. I know there is an excitable minority who see this is as an infringement of human rights etc and another paranoid bunch fuelled by incorrect and innacurate internet garbage who are convinced it is going to kill them. But then there are around 80% of the electorate who haven't voiced an opinion either way. Me - I don't believe the government are trying to kill me and I don't believe this is part of some kind of new world order conspiracy to medicate me against my will, and I'll bet you not one of us so much as gets ill from fluoride either - We've all been brushing our teeth with fluoridated toothpaste for decades FFS! I'm afraid we'll all continue to die of the same old usual boring old causes. Pass the Sunny Delight.Bartonian wrote: If everyone who is against this, refused to pay their water rates then pressure would be put on these authorities. Sounds drastIc, but it could be the only way to make an effective stand.No it most certainly is not drastic. In fact to me it sounds like most reasonable response. Power to the people!
Andy Locks Heath
says...
3:58pm Fri 24 Jul 09
southy
says...
4:23pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath
says...
4:49pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Bartonian
says...
5:07pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:Wonder how many people have too much time on their hands in the day to make vacous comments like you evolution Andy.
Pardon me. Testicles and eyeballs instead .... and a nice handful of growth hormones and dyes courtesy of Hoffmann La Roche. The point remains the same. And yes I will be eating meat tonight - but I don't cry myself to sleep with fear over speculation as some here appear to. I worry about things in the order of their probability of impacting me. I wonder how many people signed the fluoride petition who drink and smoke, are overweight and take no excercise?
HowDictorial
says...
5:34pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:Its all down to CHOICE...
Pardon me. Testicles and eyeballs instead .... and a nice handful of growth hormones and dyes courtesy of Hoffmann La Roche. The point remains the same. And yes I will be eating meat tonight - but I don't cry myself to sleep with fear over speculation as some here appear to. I worry about things in the order of their probability of impacting me. I wonder how many people signed the fluoride petition who drink and smoke, are overweight and take no excercise?
Andy Locks Heath
says...
6:07pm Fri 24 Jul 09
HowDictorial wrote:Exactly. So if you choose to buy of your own free will things that kill you, make you fat, unfit and shorten your life it hardly behooves you to complain about homeopathy in water does it?
Andy Locks Heath wrote:Its all down to CHOICE...
Pardon me. Testicles and eyeballs instead .... and a nice handful of growth hormones and dyes courtesy of Hoffmann La Roche. The point remains the same. And yes I will be eating meat tonight - but I don't cry myself to sleep with fear over speculation as some here appear to. I worry about things in the order of their probability of impacting me. I wonder how many people signed the fluoride petition who drink and smoke, are overweight and take no excercise?
You chooose what you purchase & pay for,if you dont want it you dont buy it!!!
Fluoridation is a totally different kettle of fish as they say.
Andy Locks Heath
says...
6:11pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Paramjit Bahia
says...
6:29pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath wrote:Dear Andy
Paramjit Bahia wrote:Well most of the "People" have not spoken, Paramjit. I know there is an excitable minority who see this is as an infringement of human rights etc and another paranoid bunch fuelled by incorrect and innacurate internet garbage who are convinced it is going to kill them. But then there are around 80% of the electorate who haven't voiced an opinion either way. Me - I don't believe the government are trying to kill me and I don't believe this is part of some kind of new world order conspiracy to medicate me against my will, and I'll bet you not one of us so much as gets ill from fluoride either - We've all been brushing our teeth with fluoridated toothpaste for decades FFS! I'm afraid we'll all continue to die of the same old usual boring old causes. Pass the Sunny Delight.Bartonian wrote: If everyone who is against this, refused to pay their water rates then pressure would be put on these authorities. Sounds drastIc, but it could be the only way to make an effective stand.No it most certainly is not drastic. In fact to me it sounds like most reasonable response. Power to the people!
Redback
says...
7:50pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Redback
says...
7:51pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Condor Man
says...
10:02pm Fri 24 Jul 09
Andy Locks Heath
says...
12:31pm Sun 26 Jul 09
Paramjit Bahia wrote:I agree with a lot of your points as always Paramjit but look, this was not a referendum it was a petition with biassed and unchallenged "facts" at is core- a petition does not give the chance to express any view other than that of the person thrusting it under your nose. Yes there are many flaws in our democratic process and one of the worst right now is this so called "local democracy" expressed through petitions, which is really just showing whether whether one group (or neighbourhood) can shot louder than its neighbour. Nothing to do with democracy at all. When there is a proper referendum then we can discuss its outcome but petitions can be dangerous and unsatisfactory attempts by well organised single issue obsessives and cranks to increase their influence and hijack public opinion. There are no safeguards against this.
Andy Locks Heath wrote:Dear Andy
Paramjit Bahia wrote:Well most of the "People" have not spoken, Paramjit. I know there is an excitable minority who see this is as an infringement of human rights etc and another paranoid bunch fuelled by incorrect and innacurate internet garbage who are convinced it is going to kill them. But then there are around 80% of the electorate who haven't voiced an opinion either way. Me - I don't believe the government are trying to kill me and I don't believe this is part of some kind of new world order conspiracy to medicate me against my will, and I'll bet you not one of us so much as gets ill from fluoride either - We've all been brushing our teeth with fluoridated toothpaste for decades FFS! I'm afraid we'll all continue to die of the same old usual boring old causes. Pass the Sunny Delight.Bartonian wrote: If everyone who is against this, refused to pay their water rates then pressure would be put on these authorities. Sounds drastIc, but it could be the only way to make an effective stand.No it most certainly is not drastic. In fact to me it sounds like most reasonable response. Power to the people!
Under our democratic system, which many like to brag that it is better than the rest of the world, we elect our representatives to parliament and local councils on the basis of first past the post. Those who fail to exercise their right to vote are not counted against the winning candidates. It will be pure hypocrisy if SHA is allowed to get away with applying different standard i.e. counting those who decided not respond to the so called consultation as fluoride fans.
I have stated before that I am not a scientist, so as a lay person my knowledge may be limited. But my main fear is the accidents, which can happen. So I am not willing to take chances.
Let us face the facts, world was assured Three Mile Island, Bhopal and Sovaso were all super safe, till all of them including Chernobyl had accidents. On top of that as has been reported most recently in Australia well above so called safe limits of fluoride got added to the drinking water. Yes by accident, as we are told. Now nobody is willing to tell us what the long term effects of that mistake will be.
I respect your right to hold opposing views, but please do not start treating many well informed democratic people as mugs, just because they do not sing from the same hymn sheet as your good self.
Kind regards
Rambling Rose
says...
1:15pm Fri 31 Jul 09
Rambling Rose
says...
1:17pm Fri 31 Jul 09
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southy says...
10:49am Fri 24 Jul 09