THE battle to save Ilkley's Coronation Hospital has been taken to the Government.

Ilkley MP Ann Cryer, Ilkley Parish Council chairman Mike Gibbons, and Dr Geoff Rawlings, of the Springs Medical Centre, met with Health Minister Jacqui Smith at Whitehall on Tuesday to discuss the future of the hospital and its services.

They also handed over a copy of the 9,600-signature petition calling for the hospital and its services to be saved.

Ms Smith was said to be 'very supportive' to the campaigners, and pointed out that the Airedale NHS Trust had no right to close the hospital's Minor Injuries Unit before the period of consultation. The discussions also looked into the possibilities of building a new hospital.

Mrs Cryer said: "The Minister has made it very clear that attempts to reduce service provision through the back door must cease. I now look forward to seeing the trust's proposals which can be considered during the consultation period.

"It is up to the trust to come up with long-term proposals which will ensure that services remain in Ilkley. I shall, of course, keep Jacqui Smith fully informed of developments."

Coun Gibbons said the meeting had been very constructive, but warned that the future of the hospital was still not certain.

He said: "I think we managed to raise all the pertinent points and the Minister obviously had done some research into the situation prior to the meeting.

"She seemed most interested in the information that we had to offer and made particular note of our concerns regarding the elderly of the community, the historical element of the previous campaigns."

Mrs Cryer also recently spoke out about the Coronation Hospital in a Parliamentary debate following the Queen's Speech. She described the Springs Lane hospital as a 'gem of a hospital', and referred to a commitment in the Queen's Speech to 'health care based on the founding principles of the National Health Service'.

She said: "It provides excellent services, including physiotherapy, a dietician, an X-ray department and family planning. I shall campaign to keep the hospital open, as it is a basic ingredient of what the NHS should be," she said.

The petition, which will not be handed over to Airedale NHS Trust and Airedale Primary Care Trust until it releases full proposals for the hospital, can still be signed at the Ilkley Gazette office, 8 Wells Road, Ilkley.