YORK’S health overview and scrutiny committee (OSC) has a legal duty to scrutinise health and social care services and to be informed of changes to the delivery of those services.

Health OSCs are non-political, so it regrettable that the present chair has chosen to use his position to focus on council services alone and to avoid scrutiny of the impact the current government’s policies are having on vital NHS services, including A&E.

The respected King’s Fund think-tank says services are deteriorating, with waiting times for A&E, cancer care and routine operations all getting worse, budget deficits growing and drops in performance at their worst for 20 years. Staff are doing their best but in very trying circumstances.

In discussing the issue of elderly people’s housing this week, not once did we hear the chairman focus on the needs of elderly people, needs that are now better reflected in new proposals. Instead, last Wednesday night’s meeting was entangled in technical legal discussions around procurement, something not within the remit of the committee.

The health and social care is too important to waste time party political jousting.

Cllr Tina Funnell, Health overview and scrutiny member, Upper Price Street, York.