It is far too early to celebrate victory over our battles to save Bassetlaw hospital, but we have some  movement this week on Maternity Services. We need to see this detailed in September and what the proposals for Children’s Services are before anyone can make a true judgement. We also have some shocking evidence from the Royal College of Physicians about the quality of Stroke Services at Doncaster, which in 2010 were in dire straits.

Bassetlaw Hospital outperformed Doncaster in four out of the six outcomes that were analysed in their annual report- the other two outcomes were evenly scored between the hospitals. Doncaster’s performance had also fallen since 2009, and Bassetlaw was high performing across the whole East Midlands region. It begs the question why Bassetlaw stroke victims now go direct to Doncaster. Considering the briefings given to me and the press in August 2009, I think some people in the Doncaster bureaucracy have a lot of questions to answer now.

Meanwhile the police claim that there will be no need for as many arrests in Bassetlaw because they will be policing us better. It sounds too good to be true. It is also their excuse for closing the cells at Worksop police station: “we don’t need them because we will be keeping crime so low”.

Of course this leaves one rather big problem unanswered. What happens if crime in Bassetlaw does not fall? The answer is that all our police will spend much of their time driving people they have arrested to and from Mansfield. This is a barmy idea, based on an over optimistic view of the world. In my experience crime falls when police are out in the community, giving no respite to the bullies and the thugs and arresting them whenever necessary. Without the police station cells in Worksop this will not happen.  How can we have confidence in Nottinghamshire Police unless they reverse this appalling decision?

The events in Norway have shocked us all. Just after another successful Bassetlaw summer school, a lunatic shoots dead dozens of teenagers wanting to be active in improving their communities. Years ago Jens Stoltenberg, the man who is now Norway’s Prime Minister, invited me to Utoeya Island to their annual summer camp. I was unable to attend though I have spoken at one of their other events. It shows how evil can strike even in the most peaceful of places, but the public response demonstrates how those with hatred and intolerance can never win. At this time, I echo the calls of others who are saying that this week, “we are all Norwegian”.