Airedale Hospital rebuild news strongly welcomed by Shipley MP

Shipley constituency MP Anna Dixon has welcomed the news that Airedale Hospital will not be included in the review of the New Hospital Programme.

This news means that the plans for the rebuild will continue to proceed at pace.

The project, announced last May, had been in doubt following the government's discovery of a £22 billion budgetary black hole left by the Conservatives.

However, Ms Dixon has effectively campaigned for the plans for Airedale Hospital to proceed, writing to ministers and meeting with Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in recent weeks to personally emphasise the need for the Steeton hospital to be rebuilt.

Anna Dixon MP said: “I am thrilled to hear that the rebuilding of Airedale Hospital will continue at pace.

“The hospital's services, which include significant urgent and acute, elective and specialist care, are crucial to the health and well-being of residents across my constituency.

“I know that the staff at the hospital and many local residents will be relieved following today's announcement, and I would like to thank the government and the Health Secretary for pushing ahead with these plans despite the dire financial situation they have inherited from the Conservatives.

“I would also like to thank the hospital leadership, the local Keighley councillors, the Leader of Bradford Council and the local community for keeping up the pressure on this issue.

“I am dedicated to ensuring that every resident within Shipley constituency has access to the highest level of health care facilities, and a new Airedale Hospital is a cornerstone of that commitment.”

Wes Streeting MP, added:

“Airedale Hospital will not be included in the review of the New Hospital Programme, we recognise that hospitals made primarily from RAAC are a priority to ensure patient and staff safety.

“Anna Dixon has been a tireless campaigner for rebuilding Airedale Hospital and has made a strong case for it to be a priority. However, unlike the previous government, I am not prepared to mislead local people over the cost and offer false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities they deserve.

“We are working at pace because I recognise how important it is that we commit to a realistic timetable to complete this scheme and deliver the healthcare facility local people need, and deserve.

“We will not play fast and loose with the public finances, nor will we play fast and loose with people’s trust as the previous Government did.”