CAMPAIGNERS who want to retain children's services at Dorset County Hospital have said they would be thrilled to receive the backing of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Corbyn was on Portland on Saturday meeting local members and indicated that he would like to support the Kingfisher Ward campaign.

Naomi Patterson, one of the organisers, had previously spoken to Mr Corbyn at last year's Tolpuddle Martyrs festival about the campaign.

She said yesterday, "he was quite interested. It would be a massive bonus to the campaign [to have his support]."

As reported in the Echo, consultation on the future of services at Dorset County Hospital is unlikely to take place before September.

The public consultation on the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Clinical Services Review was due to take place last August and again in January, but was delayed amid opposition from local parents and members of the community regarding the possible relocation of children’s inpatient services to Poole or Bournemouth.

The Echo received more than 20,000 signatures for our 'Hands off our Wards' campaign and presented these with those collected by Naomi and other parents to the CCG.

During his visit to Dorset, Mr Corbyn spoke about the role played by local government in helping to support the community.

Mr Corbyn visited the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy (IPACA) alongside deputy leader Tom Watson and shadow business secretary Angela Eagle for the "Campaigning to Win" conference.

He received a standing ovation from the party faithful at the end of his speech, which addressed the housing crisis in Dorset, the Tata Steel controversy and the forced academisation of British schools.

"I wanted the conference to be in the South West because it’s an area with the largest increase in party membership and it’s an area that also has major poverty in certain parts of it and a serious housing problem, as well as a lack of infrastructure investment," he told the Echo.

The Labour leader used his closing speech to address the prospect of further devolved powers for local governments.

He said: "The borough council, the town council and the county council all have a very important synergy in how they do things.

"A town council can do a lot to improve a town by promoting better community facilities such as parks and open spaces.

"In the case of Portland, they can also campaign for better facilities for tourists and businesses to come so that parking is controlled and not rammed at the expense of local residents.

"People can then come and enjoy what is after all a very important part of our national heritage."

Tom Watson said that he had "great affection" for Dorset, having lived in Dorchester in the 1980s.

"I don't want people in Dorset to feel forgotten," he said.

"Our councillors and candidates down here have been the glue that has held the party together for many years.

"It is empowering because Labour has not had great electoral success here in parliamentary terms.

"The thing that brings Jeremy and I together is that we want to put party members at the heart of the community."

In his speech, Mr Corbyn also spoke about his desire to "take on Tory values wherever I find them" and galvanise local party supporters across the country ahead of the next General Election.

"It is about keeping up that pressure and that energy," he said.

"Of course, it’s a long-haul, but we’re up for it."