July 2009

Inside this
WWW.HAMPSHIREAGAINSTFLUORIDATIO
issue: N.ORG
 Petition hand-
over at 10

Hampshire Against Fluoridation take

Downing
Street

 Judicial Re-
view of South
Central Stra-
fight to No. 10
tegic Health
Authority On Tuesday 9th June members
decision to of Hampshire Against Fluorida-
fluoridate tion travelled to London to present a
petition with over 15,300 signatures
 Southampton to Gordon Brown at 10 Downing
MPs voice Street. The petition called on the
concerns Prime Minister to intervene to ask the
about the Strategic Health Authority to reverse
SHA decision its decision and honour his pledge
that it was for local people to decide.
 Ombudsman
considering The activists were joined by Hamp-
action over shire MPs Chris Huhne, Julian Lewis
complaints and Sandra Gidley as they handed
over the signatures urging Gordon
 HAF Social Brown to personally step in and order
health chiefs to reverse their backing
 Join HAF
of fluoridation.
The 40 campaigners then delivered a
letter to Andy Burnham the new Sec-
retary of State for Health calling on
CONTENTS him to instruct South Central Strate-
gic Health Authority to reverse its
HAF go to 1 plans to add fluoride to 200,000
Downing Street
homes in Southampton, Eastleigh,
The petition 2 Totton and Netley.
handover
Caroline Place, one of the petition
Andy Burn- 2 HAF members Caroline Place, Anna Peckham, John Spottis-
organisers, said: "We are hoping that
ham—new Sec- woode, Mandy Clarke and Myra Metcalfe with MPs Sandra
retary of Health the policy will be changed, that they will Gidley, Julian Lewis and Chris Huhne at 10 Downing Street
promotes water change the law . Overwhelmingly, as you
fluoridation can see from 15,000 people who have attendance by Alan Whitehead to challenge the SHA decision
spoken by signing to say they don't want MP who, although in favour of and answer questions from
Judicial review 3
it, there is a majority against." fluoridation, felt that the SHA HAF members and supporters.
Southampton 3
MPs call for After the petition handover John had not achieved the necessary The whole day was covered by
SHA to review Spottiwoode chaired a meeting in local support. Over 40 protes- reporters from the Echo, BBC
decision Parliament with campaigners and tors attended the meeting to and Meridian and received
HAF 4 local MPs Julian Lewis and Sandra listen to the MPs talk about widespread local news cover-
membership Gidley. Protesters welcomed the what action they will be taking age.

www.hampshireagainstfluoridation.orgWebsite: hampshirea-
 PAGE 2
HAF Member
Stephen Peckham
said:
Not only did we get
the chance to take
15,000 local people’s
signatures to 10
Downing Street but we
also forged some really
good alliances and this
is a platform for taking
things forward.
MPs Sandra Gidley, Julian Lewis, Chris Huhne and HAF
supporters give the decision to fluoridate the water supply
a thumbs down outside Downing Street!
Wasting NHS money
Southampton City PCT
spent over £30,000 on pro-
motional material and
committed substantial
staff resources to persuade
local people to support
water fluoridation. The
SHA spent over £200,000
on meetings and publicity
and as much again on staff
costs on what was sup-
posed to be an unbiased
consultation. What a
waste of scarce NHS funds.
WWW.HAMPSHIREAGAINSTFLUORIDATION.ORG
Taking our protest to 10 Downing Street
At 9am on Tuesday 9th June 26
protesters (and reporters from
the Echo and BBC) met at
Southampton Central station to
take our protest and petition
to the Prime Minister at 10
Downing Street. We were in
good spirits and arrived in Lon-
don to be met by another film
crew from ITV and supporters
from the NPWA and groups
from other parts of the country
and Ireland!
Having made our way to
Downing Street we met with
three of our local MPs Sandra HAF campaigners make themselves known as they take
their case to Parliament and the Prime Minister
Gidley, Julian Lewis and Chris
Huhne. Bearing our box full imposed. Then we were on
of signatures HAF members our way again to the Houses of
Anna Peckham, Caroline Parliament where we gathered
Place, Mandy Clarke, Myra in a committee room to listen
Metcalfe and John Spottis- to Sandra Gidley and Julian
woode went into Downing Lewis as well as Southampton
Street with the MPs and de- Test MP Alan Whitehead who
livered the petition to No 10. supports fluoridation but is
Then it was across the road unhappy with the lack of local
to the headquarters of the support.
Department of Health — It was a great day for making
newly occupied by Andy new alliances and we certainly
Burnham where we handed in made an impact. After refresh-
a letter asking him to honour ments in the House of Com-
his own words about needing mons cafeteria, it was back
local support before any home to watch ourselves on
water fluoridation scheme is the news.
Health Secretary urges more
water fluoridation
Andy Burnham the new Secretary of State for Health has called for more water
fluoridation schemes to be introduced in his first national speech to the NHS. He
urged the NHS to be bolder on public health and stated that water fluoridation is
“safe and effective”—clearly he has not read the York Review. The next day, fol-
lowing enquiries from the Times Newspaper he resigned from his post as vice-
president of the British Fluoridation Society—a post that he had not declared in
the MPs Register of Interests. Burnham has long standing connections with the
BFS and the BFS has recently moved its offices to the Primary Care Trust covering
Burnham’s constituency.

SHA Decision set for Judicial Review
An application has been
filed with the High Court for
a judicial review of the deci-
sion made in February 2009
to fluoridate the water sup-
ply of Southampton. The
decision was made by the
South Central Strategic
Health Authority (SCSHA)
of the National Health Ser-
vice. The legal challenge
argues that the SHA failed
to have regard to the Gov-
ernment’s policy that mass
fluoridation of drinking wa-
ter should only go ahead in
any particular area if a ma-
jority of the local people are
in favour of it.
The application challenges the
decision on the grounds: that it
is Government policy that fluori-
dation should only go ahead if
the local population is in favour
and clearly it is not. The regula-
tions for the consultation under-
taken by the SHA required an
assessment of the cogency of
the arguments for and against
fluoridation and this did not
occur. If the application is up-
Southampton MPs call on the
SHA to put fluoride decision on hold
Following months of silence
about the SHA consultation and
wide spread protest at the deci-
sion to approve water fluorida-
tion in Southampton, Eastleigh,
Totton and Netley, the two
Southampton MPS have finally
joined with other local MPs to
call on the SHA to rethink its
decision. John Denham MP,
newly appointed as Communities
Minister, wrote in the Daily Echo
“The SHA took its original decision hold. While both MPs have
knowing that fluoridation had not
been popularly supported in either
the consultation or opinion polls. … their support as it will force the
There is a real danger of proceeding SHA to re-examine their deci-
PAGE 3
held by the court, the SHA will be their powers in relation to these
HAF Chairman
required to quash its decision. complaints.
The application has been made by John Spottiswoode
There is no doubt that the con-
a resident living in the area to besultation papers were biased and welcomed the
fluoridated, legally represented bymuch important evidence was news of a judicial
Leigh Day & Co Solicitors clearly simply ignored by the
(www.leighday.co.uk.) review. This would
SHA Board. Of particular con-
Hampshire Against Fluoridation cern is the insistence by the SHA add another point
was approached by the legal rep- that everyone should have sent
of pressure on the
resentatives to submit a witness them full copies of any articles or
statement to clarify certain as- documents that were referred to
SHA on top of our
pects of the consultation process. when people responded to the public campaign
The statement was prepared by consultation. These were not
and complaints to
HAF member Stephen Peckham . asked for during the consultation
It set out: examples of misleading but we are now told that the the Health Om-
information put forward by SHA SHA did not look at any evi- budsman. We need
during and after the consultation dence that was not supplied to
to keep pressure
process and examples of evidence them. This seems absurd and is
put forward in response to the really moving the goal posts to up locally and it is
consultation that was not prop- suit themselves. Amazingly the
important that we
erly considered by the SHA. SHA has set aside another
£400,000 of public money to
keep writing to
HAF, like local MP Julian Lewis
and County Councillor David contest the legal case. This is on our local council-
top of the £100,000s wasted
Harrison, has submitted a com- lors, MPs and to
plaint to the Health Ombudsman already on the flawed consulta- the SHA. Please
about the conduct of the consul- tion. If the SHA is instructed to
tation and bias in the use of evi- rerun the consultation then this continue to sup-
will involve even more NHS
dence and the final decision port our local
reached. The Ombudsman is cur- money at a time when we know campaign.
rently seeking legal opinion about that NHS funds are under in-
creasing pressure!
John Denham
MP says:
with fluoridation against the wishes Their change of view also ech- I think it would
of too many people. I think it oes that of Southampton City be better if the
would be better if the SHA were to councillor Jeremy Moulton who SHA were to
place the implementation of its supported water fluoridation in
place the
decision on hold.” the City Council vote but has
since expressed concerns about implementation
Alan Whitehead MP attended
the SHA’s decision. Perhaps it is of its decision
our meeting in Parliament and
promised to work with Julian time for other councillors to on hold.”
Lewis, Sandra Gidley and Chris stand up and give their views? If
Huhne to put pressure on the they truly represent their elec-
Department of Health and the torate then the Council should
SHA to put their decision on examine this issue again and
take more notice of the evi-
stated their support for water dence and local people. Contact
fluoridation, HAF welcomes your councillor to find out what
they think about this issue. HAF
have details of how all the city
sion. councillors voted.
 PAGE 4

Make sure you vote in the Echo Poll

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/4459598.Anger_as_MPs_say_no_to_fluoride_review/

Hear the experts’ views HAF Social 12th July

HAF is holding a social event for It will be a chance to catch up
If you want to find out more about the issues in-
all members, friends and sup- on news about HAF activities
volved in water fluoridation , HAF has a stock of
porters on Sunday 12th and meet other members and
excellent DVDs called Professional Perspectives on July at 5pm in the Church supporters. New members
Water Fluoridation. Leading experts including a Hall at St Boniface welcome.
Nobel prize winner, explain why they think water Church in Shirley.
Contact Caroline Place for
fluoridation is a bad idea. If you can, please bring some details: 0788 2240009.
food to share. Drinks will be
Contact HAF for details. provided.

Contact HAF:
Chairman John
Spottiswoode:
Join Hampshire Against Fluoridation
02380 789230 We want to build up our open to anyone or any local Please send membership
membership to ensure that we groups or organization that form to:
can continue to play an active support our objectives of keep-
Membership Ann Richards
role locally challenging the de- ing our water fluoride free. We
Secretary: Ann 4 South Road
cision to fluoridate the water welcome people who would
Richards: Hayling Island
but also to start to build links like to help our campaign so let
02392 463761 with groups in other areas of us know if you have particular PO11 9AE
the country who are now skills that could help us with Tel: 02392 463761
Local contacts: threatened with similar consul- publicity, campaigning activities, annpeter@richards177.fsnet.co.uk
Caroline Place tation proposals. Please join accounts etc. Check our web-
Cheques payable to Hampshire
0788 2240009 or renew your membership site and blog for information Against Fluoridation
now. Membership of HAF is about HAF.
Anna Peckham
02380 493776 Membership: Join HAF
Hampshire Against I wish to join/renew my membership:
Fluoridation is a vol-
untary group and re- Name: ………………………………………………………………………….
lies on subscriptions Address: ……………………………………………………………………….
and donations.
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Membership dona-
tion for one year is Post code:……………………………………………………………………...
£5.00. Please send a Email address:………………………………………………………………….
cheque together with
Tel. number: ………………………………………………….
the form or pay by
Paypal through our Membership donation £5 Donation to HAF funds: £
website. If you have I would like to help HAF by ………………………………………….
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please renew your Please send me a free Professional Perspectives DVD…….YES/NO
membership.

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