A FORMER mayor has urged victims of disgraced surgeon Richard Neale to take part in a controversial private inquiry.

John Bacon, who was mayor of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, in 1983, made his appeal after a meeting with the senior barrister who chairs the inquiry, Suzan Matthews QC.

So far, very few former patients of Mr Neale - who was struck off for serious professional misconduct three years ago - have come forward to give evidence.

Inquiry officials insist that progress is being made but there is no doubt that a boycott by leaders of the victim support group, who wanted a public inquiry, is hampering efforts to collect information.

"I was very impressed by Mrs Matthews," said Mr Bacon, who has campaigned for the authorities to use health and safety legislation against Mr Neale and those who employed him at the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton, between 1985 and 1995.

"I have no doubt that she is determined to the get to the bottom of all this, but she needs to understand the culture which prevailed at the Friarage which prevented people speaking out," he said.

"I would urgently ask patients and staff to contact the inquiry team to give any information they have. To do so would be serving the interests of Northallerton for generations to come."

Mr Bacon, who has made his own submission to the inquiry, has been encouraged that the Health and Safety Executive has expressed its willingness to make a submission about the potential use of safety legislation in medical negligence cases.

But Sheila Wright-Hogeland, chairman and founder of the patient support group, angrily rejected Mr Bacon's advice.

Mrs Wright-Hogeland, who lives near Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, said: "I wonder why he feels qualified to make these remarks when, to my knowledge, he has not met a single group member.

"I don't understand the basis of his meeting with the inquiry chairman. His involvement in the case has been zero."

She said the leaders of the group had decided not to co-operate with the inquiry because they had no faith that it would tackle the real issues behind the Neale scandal.

* The Neale inquiry helpline is 0207 972 2400.

Read more about the Richard Neale scandal here.