The Reverend caused a minor scandal at a recent council meeting by appearing to ATTACK THE NHS when he responded to a petition from a couple of junior doctors DEMANDING ACTION on air pollution in the city.

He told the pair, “the NHS generates FIVE PER CENT OF ALL ROAD JOURNEYS IN THIS COUNTRY. This is from the NHS’s own numbers. They contribute 735 deaths through air pollution, they cost us 8,844 life years, contributing 85 deaths and 772 major injuries, and they create £650million-worth of demand on NHS services.”

The Reverend, presumably, is referring to such PLANET DESTROYING SPONGERS as health visitors, community nurses and occupational therapists. All NHS workers who regularly visit people in their homes to support, often complex, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. What’s the Reverend proposing here? That, in future, NHS patients crawl to their nearest health centre for treatment to reduce pollution?

If the Reverend’s concerned about the amount of car journeys made by public sector organisations, he could start NEARER TO HOME. How many car journeys are his adult care workers, social workers and OTs making? Is it significantly LESS THAN THIS ALLEGED FIVE PER CENT OF TRAFFIC courtesy of the NHS on our local roads? Maybe the Reverend could start targeting some of his own sick, dying and vulnerable and tell them to get on their bikes to lower the city’s pollution levels?

Alternatively, he could start with all those FREE PARKING SPACES he dishes out to fit and healthy COUNCILLORS and SENIOR BOSSES at the Council House. They all seem intensely relaxed about poisoning the rest of us because they can’t be arsed to walk, ride a bike or take a bus.