Local MP Amber Rudd has joined the battle to save the NHS walk-in centre at Station Plaza right in the centre of the town.

It was announced in April that the popular centre was under threat with plans proposed to relocate it to the Conquest Hospital on The Ridge. Plans were put on hold during the summer, however, the whole issue is due to come up for consideration again next month by Hastings and Rother Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

In April members of Hastings Borough Council said the plan did not make sense and risked putting the accident and emergency facilities at the Conquest under even greater strain.

Now Ms Rudd has added her voice saying: “Hastings Walk-In Centre is a very important facility to us all. Moving the service to the Conquest Hospital will make it harder to get to for those who need it most. Join me in trying to keep the service where it is at its most accessible in our town centre.”

Please join me at a public meeting I have called for so we can get some answers

One of the signatories to Ms Rudd’s petition, Sue Herriott, says: “Don’t close this vital town centre resource. The Conquest is already too busy with long waiting times. This is about making services accessible for everyone including the most vulnerable.”

While James Dee says: “Only two weeks ago I needed the services of Hastings’ Walk-In medical centre at Station Plaza. The service I received was quick, safe and extremely professional. Without this centre I would not have got the care and treatment I needed. But this service is under threat with talk of it closing down and being moved to the Conquest Hospital, this cannot happen. The accessibility of the Station Plaza site is second to none.”

Ms Rudd has also called for a public meting on the matter and if that goes ahead we will bring you details of where and when that is going to happen as soon as we have them.

The petition launched by the MP is the second to be organised by local people who do not want to lose the town centre service, Erica Smith launched her petition almost two weeks ago and already has just short of 2,000 signatures.

• To sign Amber Rudd’s petition please follow this link
• https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-hastings-walk-in-centre/?i=0#.W4AKgiB_dbs.facebook

• To sign Erica Smith’s petition follow this link
• https://www.change.org/p/hastings-and-rother-clinical-commissioning-group-keep-hastings-station-plaza-walk-in-health-centre?recruiter=2627190&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page