POLITICIANS have thrown their weight behind the Gazette’s campaign to save urology department cancer surgery in Colchester.

Councillors unanimously backed a motion to support the retention of services at Colchester General Hospital.

Dave Harris, Labour councillor for Berechurch, put forward the motion at a full council meeting.

He said: “This is a partisan motion, a motion that salutes our local hospital and the NHS service.

“You have to go a long way to find such up-to-date facilities, techniques and modern equipment.

“You can go to any community in Colchester and you will not have to go far to meet someone who has either been treated by the Colchester Urology Department or knows some family member or friend who has.

“The Gazette has run a very good campaign on this, and I salute that.

“Colchester already has a worldclass cancer centre, why go anywhere else?”

Your Gazette launched the Save Our Cancer Surgery campaign following new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which stated there would only be one centre in Essex.

Colchester and Southend’s hospital trusts are expected to apply, and we believe the centre should remain here.

Mr Harris’s motion was supported across the political spectrum at Wednesday night’s council meeting.

Roger Buston, Conservative councillor for Lexden, said: “I’m delighted to see an opportunity for us in this chamber to lend our weight to this.

“I think it is very important that, with the large and growing population we have, we fight our very hardest to get the very best.”

Liberal Democrat Helen Chuah, councillor for St Anne’s, said: “I believe in holistic care.

“People are going to have to travel to Southend. You get very anxious.

“It affects their treatment, their families and wellbeing.”

So far, thousands of people have signed our petition and backed our campaign.

For more information click HERE.

To sign the petition click HERE.