Politicians concerned for hospital refurbishment

Watford General in Hertfordshire was one of the sites named in the £20bn New Hospital Programme

Politicians are concerned about a planned hospital refurbishment after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a review of the plan to build 40 extra hospitals by 2030.

Watford General in Hertfordshire was one of the sites named in the £20bn New Hospital Programme and town's mayor Peter Taylor said the improvements were "long overdue".

He added: "It’s time to start building the new hospital we’ve been promised, not start yet another review. Patients and staff have waited long enough."

West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust said the building had "suffered from decades of chronic under-investment" and it was looking forward to working closely with the government during its review.

"There is a huge backlog of maintenance needed to existing buildings and costs associated with meeting standards. The crumbling infrastructure means delivering safe and high-quality care is unsustainable.

"Our scheme is well developed. We have planning permission, have recently acquired the land for the new building and enabling work has begun to clear the site.

"There is strong support both politically and within the local communities we serve for the new hospital and the case for rebuilding Watford remains stronger and more urgent than ever."

Then Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the hospital in 2019 and later made a pledge to build 40 new hospitals by 2030

It was previously expected that funding and work on the hospital would be completed by 2030.

Now plans for hospitals are to be reviewed after Ms Reeves said the government had uncovered a £22bn hole in the public finances.

Speaking to Parliament following the Chancellor's announcement, Matt Turmaine, Labour MP for Watford, said: "My constituents are going to be bitterly disappointed as a consequence of the announcement, particularly in relation to the rebuild of Watford hospital."

He said the work had initially been promised by a Labour government, scrapped by a Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition and then "promised again and again in the run up to this general election" by the Conservatives.

He told BBC Three Counties Radio that he himself had promised Watford General Hospital would be rebuilt in "good faith" during the general election.

He said: "It is still my hope and desire this will go ahead, of course, and the review will be conducted as quickly as possible.

"You can rest assured that I will be fighting with all my might to ensure this goes ahead and continues as we had said, and others as well, ahead of the election."