Tim Farron votes to fix crumbling hospitals and bring delayed projects forward

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has today voted on a Liberal Democrat motion to fix local NHS buildings which are crumbling and to reverse the Government’s delays to the New Hospital Programme.

Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary are amongst nine hospitals that have been placed in a third and final wave of work of the New Hospitals Programme – with construction set to start sometime between 2035 and 2039.

The Lib Dem motion would have created a crumbling hospitals taskforce to work at the heart of government to fix NHS buildings which are falling apart and also drive forward the New Hospitals Programme, reversing the delays to 18 of the 40 projects.

Labour and Conservative MPs failed to vote for the motion, blocking it. 

Speaking in Parliament today, Tim said: “For the larger district general hospital serving the southern part of my constituency – Lancaster – we have the land available, it’s right next to the new medical school at Lancaster University, it’s absolutely shovel ready. 

“There is absolutely no logical reason for it to be in the last division – the third phase – not being built until the last 2030s.

“I ask and urge the minister to think again on that point.”