Comedian Jo Brand could deliver Ludlow GP bid petition

A 1,200 signature petition against plans to move GP surgeries out of Ludlow could be delivered to Downing Street with the help of comedian Jo Brand.

The petition has been collected by Save A Ludlow Town Surgery (Salts).

The group says moving the Portcullis Lane and Station Drive surgeries to the new £27 million hospital, earmarked for Ludlow Eco Park east of the A49, will disadvantage elderly and disabled residents living in the centre of town.

However, Ludlow MP Philip Dunne and other local officials say the Salts campaign could derail the whole hospital plan.

Joyce Brand, from Salts, said the group will deliver the petition to Downing Street later this month, possibly with the help of her daughter Jo.

She said: "We don't want to stop the hospital being built, far from it, we support it.

"But we do think moving both surgeries out of the centre of Ludlow needs to be looked at again.

"I have asked Jo to help deliver the petition so it generates more publicity. Hopefully she will be free to help us. We will take the petition to

Number 10 this month, possibly booking a minibus from Ludlow to take us to Downing Street."

Mrs Brand added the group did not wish to stop the hospital being built but would like to see some form of compromise such as a satellite GP surgery for residents living in the centre of town.