Is new chancellor Rachel Reeves set to “halt” plan for new hospital for Harlow?
Health / Sat 27th Jul 2024 at 11:27am
IT is being reported that, in a key note speech on Monday, the new chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves is set to halt the NHS hospital building programme.
It is understood that one of the chancellor’s main priorities is to fill in a “”£20 billion black hole” in the economy.
To quote The Times: “NHS England this week forecast a deficit of £2.2 billion, while the cost of building new hospitals is also said to be far higher than thought, and is likely to see the programme put on hold”.
We have contacted Harlow’s new MP, Chris Vince. Mr Vince said: “After years of being led up the garden path by the Conservatives, I am relieved that the Health Secretary is getting on top of the situation.
“We deserve an honest and realistic timetable for the delivery of Harlow hospital project. Patients and staff have been let down for far too long. I will be meeting with the Health Secretary in the coming weeks to make sure that we aren’t let down again”.
Hannah Ellis, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Harlow in the General Election, has commented:
Ms Ellis said: “Harlow and our surrounding villages desperately need a new hospital.
Before the election, we had it in writing, from the Conservative government, that our new hospital would be delivered by 2030. The funding was there. Many thousands had been spent already on plans. And site negotiations were soon to be finalised.
I met with the Minister who was then responsible for the New Hospitals Programme who confirmed that, despite the delays we had seen during the pandemic, everything was now back on track.
During the General Election, our new Labour MP assured residents that Labour was committed to building our new hospital as well.
I repeatedly raised concerns about Labour’s planned ‘review’ of the New Hospital Programme and was told I was scaremongering. Sadly, that appears not to have been the case.
Writing letters to ask for meetings is not enough. We need our new MP to be on the front line for us demanding his new bosses deliver what he says they promised him.
“There can be no excuses. Residents need this hospital and I will keep fighting for it until it is built and open to the public.”
Resident
2024-07-27 12:10:34
It was pretty much halted under the tories too. At least these seem more honest about things rather than promising things without ever starting them
Jo
2024-07-27 12:55:35
Why not ask our new MP?
Adam
2024-07-27 12:56:37
They have had access to the books for a while, so if there was a short fall it should have been known about before the election campaign or did they lie about no tax rises? Laughing so much everyone thought Labour would be different, get used to it they will deliver on nothing but cause chaos.
Adam
2024-07-27 13:01:22
Remember this is the labour party who the other day told you to ignore the care quality commissions reports on hospitals. It is like 1984 the state telling you to ignore the evidence of your own eyes.
Peter
2024-07-27 13:24:35
YH why report this as news , surely better to report facts in a few days rather than quote The Times, a paper which has no objectivity as far as labour is concerned. And Hannah Ellis, you say "negotiations were soon to be finalised". So you are criticising the possible cancellation of a project on a site which is not even purchased? Hannah, how about more news on how the money already received in our town is being spent in Harlow, and perhaps the financials on the acquisition of Burnt Mills flats, or is that still "commercially sensitive". You are a councillor after all
Nostradamus
2024-07-27 13:43:09
Just start the build or remodel on the GSK site it's already in public ownership and doing nothing with virtually no prospect of Public Health/ Porton Down moving on to the site.
Guy Flegman
2024-07-27 13:52:50
Time for the Labour to revert to type and pick a pocket or two. I am surprised anybody fell for the narrative.
Adam
2024-07-27 14:10:41
Guy most people in this town take rather than contribute to the tax base, of course they were going to vote for the gov to put their hands in the pockets of others. What else would they do, get a job? much easier to blame the hate Tories and become dependent on the state
View from Afar
2024-07-27 15:15:27
Did anyone think the new hospital was actually going to happen? Was it 40 new hospitals by 2030? More Conservative empty promises, just like all Dan Swords has promised for Harlow just to win votes.
Brian Aston
2024-07-27 15:45:39
Does anyone else get a sense of deja vu. When Gordon Brown became chancellor didn't he sell off this country's gold reserves (about $3.5bn raised but he sold the gold when the price was at its historic lowest) and then went on to raid pension pots to raise even more money. As Labour have already promised not to raise NI, or tax for "working people" it will be interesting to see what taxes the new chancellor raises. Perhaps a rise in fuel duty (which will impact everyone, both drivers and deliveries alike). So that becomes a tax on working people. Or maybe they will back track on their no tax rise promise as the black hole is bigger than they thought. Or maybe the magic money tree that is private education and energy companies will be tapped for even more money. We all await with bated breath.
Charlie
2024-07-27 16:14:30
I was under the impression that Labour would be boosting the NHS, when it is painfully obvious they are no better than the Tories. If, as seems to be the case, the new hospital is just a wild dream, then our newly elected MP and Harlow Council should immediately work together and put the new developments around the town on hold as well. The Gilston Garden Town project should be halted in its tracks before a brick is laid or a new road built. Anyone who has used the Princess Alexandra Hospital lately, can see that they can barely cope as it is, and the new developments will push PAH over the edge. A catastrophie waiting to happen. But I expect with heads firmly in the sand, the chance of stopping the developments is zero.
Neil WarnerBaker
2024-07-27 16:28:50
I'm relieved. Totally idiotic to knock down our present hospital and have it rebuilt out of town on greenbelt land, funded by selling off the present site to developers to knock up another 10,000 homes on top of the 65,000 already planned..far better to upgrade the present Hospital and make good use of the Square1 site that ECC sold off for £10,000
Guy Flegman
2024-07-27 16:34:43
They will put inheritance tax on pensions, then start taxing Isa’s by limiting the amount you can put in one. They will then increase capital gains tax. Then I suspect they will increase the percentage your employer pays into your work place pension, just to make workers think they are getting a good deal. They will then wonder why tax receipts go down as the rich move their money off shore and business relocate abroad. Then the workers will revolt when they realise they are getting less out of their workplace pension than has been put in. You don’t need a crystal ball for this. As I have always said, the difference between the tories and labour is that the tories stab you in the front and Labour stab you in the back.
David
2024-07-27 17:21:00
You were warned, vote Labour at your peril. Labour always hit the people who work to give to the those who won't work.
Iain Lindsay
2024-07-27 17:30:31
One can already see how useless Mr Vince is going to be. Asked about the possible axing of a new hospital for Harlow, he starts prattling on about the Health Secretary being on top of the issue rather than answering the pertinent question. The Chancellor controls the public finances and if she says it's not being built, it's not being built.
lez
2024-07-27 19:42:46
chris vince will be a yes man when starmer says jump mr vince will say how high
Seamus
2024-07-27 20:15:13
Harlow hospital was built in 1958, In 1961 the population of Harlow was 54,000. Roll forward to 2024 and with the hospital, having very little in the way of relative expansion, Harlow's population is now at 93,400. This does not include the latton priory proposed over a thousand new homes , Gilden way thousands of new homes and the 20,000 new homes proposed homes at the proposed gilden gardend developments. That will leave us with a population of between 150,000 - 200,000 being served by a hospital built in 1958 with a projected total population of just 80,000. I don't profess to be a politician, a councillor or even an mp but even I can spot a hospital that is in dire need to be tripled in size just to cope with what we have. If the Chancellor shafts Harlow tomorrow on the hospital, then I would advise Mr Vance not to get to comfortable in the house of commons and Mr Sword's not to plan his political career beyond the next council election.
Charlie
2024-07-27 20:34:08
Well put Seamus, you have it spot on. It is total madness to continue with the planned dvelopments for new housing without having the new hospital in place. But every time I comment on this issue on the HGGT pages, I never get a straight answer. The planners simply have no idea of the problems coming, or maybe they do but really don't care.
Hey Big Spender
2024-07-27 20:46:04
David - They certainly do and those who don’t work are encouraged to remain on benefits. They bleed the country dry.
Derek Clark
2024-07-28 06:01:46
Told you all, Labour has no idea about finances, they couldn't raise the funds for a cup of tea in Tesco's cafe for their ministers let alone the money for a Hospital that the Conservative party would have done so as to start building in the next year or two. I remember every labour government we have had since the 70's, and none of them had any idea. Now the labour party are back tracking and the bankruptcy of this country has begun. Mark my words three to four years at best.
Adam
2024-07-28 07:13:03
BUPA is pretty good price only 3k ish for a family. Much better than what you will get from the NHS like schools if you want good health care you have to avoid the government service. This is going to be a horrifc 5 years while the parasite kills the host
Guy Flegman
2024-07-28 08:41:53
If it’s an emergency then your only option is the NHS.
Alan Salsbury
2024-07-28 10:07:07
Boris Johnson promised new NHS hospitals and Robert Halfon managed to get Harlow included. Then some mad scientist in China, Developed a virus designed to be used for germ warfare and unfortunately it escaped and threatened the World. Drastic steps had to be taken to prevent a catastrophe which wrecked the economy and the consequences are being felt. Very churlish of the Labour party to leave that aspect out when they criticise the previous administration. Now they are asking us to believe that they never knew how bad things were/ They are softening us up for a major tax hype and a reduction in public services. So tghe next 4 years are going to be bad but in the election year, surprise surprise, the year of the big give away. Don't be fooled again!
Charles
2024-07-28 11:10:47
I’d like to know why Hannah Ellis is getting as much airtime as she does on this website. She lost the election.
David
2024-07-28 12:18:44
Alan - Boris Johnson over the years has wanted to build a giant roundabout under the Isle of Man, connecting England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, a four-runway airport on the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary, the Boris bridge, 26 miles of subterranean highways under London and of course 40 new hospitals in England by 2030. As well as being a liar and a narcissist, the bloke was also a fantasist. Nothing ‘promised’ by Boris Johnson, other than the ludicrous Dangleway, has ever been built.
Peter
2024-07-28 13:27:47
Alan Salisbury, re your comment about Covid, had the Tories been better prepared for a pandemic the economy might not have been wrecked. They had had been in power for over 9 years when it happened.
Geoff turner
2024-07-28 14:31:24
Well done to all that voted labour this is just the start
Adam
2024-07-28 18:57:12
Its going to be a fun five years laughing at the idiots who voted for labour thinking anything would change.
Ped
2024-07-28 23:00:20
OMG did anyone actually think we were getting a new hospital. For god sake get real Boris was sacked from his last 4 jobs for basically being a liar..it's not just harlow it's the other 39 aswell.the tories have spent billions on aborted fast trains.dodgy PPE deals, a disastrous covid operation, .not to forget a costly brexit and a failed budget by Liz truss.so we are skint..possible for the next 50 years.. thanks, Boris, for 5 years of lies, waist law breaking and bum grabbing..The experience of electing a clown was never going to work.
gary roberts
2024-07-29 06:35:39
"Is new chancellor Rachel Reeves set to “halt” plan for new hospital for Harlow?" No, any new hospital will not be in Harlow!
David
2024-07-29 07:41:54
Get a job, work hard, pay our taxes, and Labour will Redistribute your money To others who won't work.
Me, Harlow
2024-07-29 08:03:51
We never even came close to having a new hospital in the 14 years of conservative leadership, nor did any of the 40 that were promised by Boris Johnson but let us all blame Labour.
Where did it all go wrong.?
2024-07-29 08:12:18
Build, Build, Build is Labours plan for generating growth Build Houses-Build Wind farms-Build Solar farms just don't build Hospitals, Schools, Prisons or roads it seems
Reg
2024-07-29 08:14:35
Adam, Gary, David etc it's worth noting that employment has been decreasing in Harlow over the last 10 years. It was over 80% and now sits around 65%. It's not hard to see why the people of Harlow voted the way they did.
Nicholas Taylor
2024-07-29 08:22:39
Lets hope the hospital board created a Plan B back in 2019 in case a new hospital would not be built on a field in Sheering. The plan to create a campus was always going to be in doubt, land has still not bought, all services would need to be constructed on a site which is partly on a flood plain, with hundreds of staff having to up-root their homes to live close to a new hospital etc etc. The board need to get on with developing a credible, cheaper option which would see the demolition of parts of the existing hospital (afterall not all of it is 60 years old) on land presently occupied by car parks, by building a multi story car park on the former Square site.
Adam
2024-07-29 08:24:43
Reg yes people voted the way they did as they want the rewards of someone else working hard. As an adult you are responsible for your life, if that means you have to move for work or do long commutes you do so. I moved for a job 20 years ago it is how I ended up in Harlow, since living here I have worked for a few years in High Wycombe driving there and back each day, or more recently when I started my own business working internationally. I regularly work 100 hours a week, and when on "vacation". All it takes is a little drive and determination, not sitting on your ass demanding that other work hard so you can live. Far too many people especially in comments on this news paper seem to think gov or local council are responsible, asking about council houses etc. Stop being dependent on the state.
Gemma
2024-07-29 13:28:13
Adam I'm sure your personal story and hard work are commendable but it's important to recognise that not everyone's circumstances and opportunities are the same.
Trev
2024-07-29 13:32:20
Adam - you come to this town as a guest (from the US I assume) and call the locals idiots? Perhaps you should be looking inwards? Remember that a majority of this town are employed and paying tax. We've also seen a massive decline across the UK since your arrival, it's no suprise to see people voting for what they feel is a change.
R D INGRAM
2024-08-02 21:06:02
I left PAH 21 years ago, the A&E was in trouble then under staffed and over subscribed. The A&E facility has expanded vastly, yet the service has not improved (some might say it has deteriorated). Will a new hospital remedy this? Where will they recruit the staff from? There are national shortages of doctors, nurses, midwives, radiographers and many other professional clinical and non clinical staff. There are however a veritable herd of managers, most of whom are not necessary even where they “manage” more than two staff! So yes the new hospital would be nice but can it be opened and run with less than optimal staff numbers? Will care levels fall? Those in power should recognise that they are not just dealing with money or targets, but people who are often in pain or worried about their health!
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