Water fluoridation dispute to go to court
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- Published: Wednesday, 05 February 2014 07:29
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The long-running battle over plans to add fluoride to domestic water supplies in and around Southampton could be heading for a showdown in court. Hampshire councils and the Government’s health agency are at odds over the proposed scheme. With neither side willing to move, they are set for a legal battle.
Plans to put fluoride into the tap water of 200,000 residents in parts of Southampton, Eastleigh, Totton, Netley and Rownhams were given the go-ahead in 2009, despite fierce resistance from campaigners. The former Strategic Health Authority had always argued introducing it would benefit public health and its successor organisation Public Health England (PHE) has said it will continue with the plans.
But following legal advice, Hampshire County Council leader Roy Perry and Southampton City Council boss Simon Letts believe the scheme no longer exists due to the SHA’s failure to hand over vital documents to its successor the PHE. They have been waiting for five months to find out what the Government and PHE’s appraisal of the situation was. This week, PHE chiefs announced that although the paperwork was not completed, they still believed the fluoridation scheme existed.
Southampton City Council leader, Simon Letts, said: “There are two legal views about fluoridation. Until those legal points are tested in a court, we will be no further forward.” He said fluoridation would not go ahead without a court ruling “At the very least, this has given us time to assess all of our options and even if a court eventually rules against us, I have already told PHE that a referendum should be held to determine whether it happens or not,” he said.
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