COUNCILLOR D'Albert can waffle all he likes, but sooner or later he must answer the key question.
His friend and colleague, fellow Liberal Democrat Coun Tim Pickstone, is Bury's only political representative on the board of the Pennine Acute NHS Trust.
Together they have watched the deficit grow from less than one per cent of the budget to today's £28million.
All this has taken place during a period when the government has almost doubled investment per person in the NHS.
In the current spending period, the NHS budget in Bury is growing by approximately eight per cent a year.
Quite apart from Pennine Acute's growing deficit, the board - of which Coun Pickstone is a member - has presided over a disastrous period of industrial relations leading to a mass vote of no confidence in the management.
The same board then approved a £500,000 pay-off for the former chief executive. No wonder the external consultants brought in to sort out this mess criticised the board.
Throughout all this Coun Pickstone has remained silent. No comment. No explanation. No apology. No accountability.
The former chairman of the Pennine Acute Board did at least do the decent thing and resign.
When will Coun Pickstone accept that he must also accept some responsibility?
DAVID CHAYTOR MP
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