A PETITION which called on the NHS to keep their health care promises to Thornbury has been handed to health chiefs.

The petition was collected by the Thornbury and Severnvale Liberal Democrats and was presented to health officials at the meeting of South Gloucestershire Council's public health and health scrutiny committee on Wednesday, September 17.

It reads: “Despite 10 years of promises Thornbury and Alveston people see no sign at all of a new Health Centre, a new and extended Outpatients Department, and another nursing home with NHS beds. We the undersigned ask the NHS to tell us when these will be provided, and to give us a definite timetable.”

Thornbury Councillor Clare Fardell handed the first 526 signatures to Ben Bennett on behalf of of the Clinical Commissioning Group, saying she spoke for the three other Thornbury councillors Maggie Tyrell, Neil Halsall and Shirley Holloway.

She said that this was just the first batch of signatures and that more were being received daily.

Cllr Fardell said that despite Cossham and Yate having both been given new health facilities and also with some in the pipeline for Frenchay, Thornbury had seen nothing.

Thornbury was first promised new health care facilities in 2004 but as of yet nothing has come to fruition and no dates have been attached to any proposals.

She explained that people had very willingly signed on the doorstep or had returned petition forms to their MP Steve Webb who strongly backs the campaign, and people were still doing this.

“Thornbury and the surrounding villages have waited long enough,” she said. “Please tell us exactly when new facilities will be provided.”

In a debate at the meeting Cllr Maggie Tyrrell pointed out that plans for Thornbury had first been unveiled in 2004 and that since then the Clinical Commission Group (CCG) has made more promises to improve Thornbury facilities, including the suggestion that Henderson Ward in the hospital might be retained in some form, but still provided no firm dates.

A spokesman for South Gloucestershire CCG said: "The Henderson Ward is staying until we have a replacement for the long term, until then we're continuing to invest in the site because we know that it's still well used by people in the area.

"We know people have have been waiting for these changes for far longer than we would have wanted them to but I don't expect we will see any changes on site for a couple of years at least.

“Further information, including a timetable for progressing these plans, is expected to be available in Autumn 2014. Updates will be provided to local stakeholders in Thornbury as part of this.”