Former Tory MP’s anger at KGH funding row as Rosie Wrighting seeks urgent meeting with health secretary Wes Streeting

On Tuesday Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that the former Conservative Government’s pledge to build 40 ‘new’ hospitals by 2030 – including the KGH rebuild – was now under review because of a huge black hole in public finances.

Ms Wrighting’s predecessor, former Conservative MP Philip Hollobone, has called the review of the New Hospital Programme a ‘screeching U-turn’ and ‘betrayal’.

But Labour’s Ms Wrighting, who became Kettering’s MP just weeks ago, said: “The people of Kettering deserve an NHS that's fit for the future.

"The Conservative Government promised to rebuild Kettering General Hospital, a promise that was both undeliverable and unaffordable, and they did not provide the funding for. This is one of many unfunded promises that they made to the British people but knew they wouldn’t be able to deliver. They lied to local people about our NHS.

“The Chancellor has been forced to take action to clean up the mess left by the last government, but we cannot promise to deliver something if the money simply is not there, which is why she has announced a review of the New Hospital Programme. The review will provide a realistic timeframe for what can be delivered by when. This government will be honest with people – they won't lead us up the garden path only to let us down, like the Conservatives did.”

She added: “My support for the hospital is unwavering. One of my first acts as an MP was to visit KGH, which I followed up with a question in parliament about the closure of part of the maternity ward.

“I will seek a meeting with the health secretary, Wes Streeting, to urgently discuss the hospital's future plans.”

In a statement to the Northants Telegraph, Mr Hollobone said: “I made the rebuild of KGH my top priority as Kettering’s MP. I got KGH onto the list of 40 new hospitals, kept it on the list when others dropped out, and got the budget increased from the original £46m for the A&E replacement to £500m for the larger rebuild, including £50m for the badly needed new power plant.

“When, during the election campaign, I warned that Labour would shelve the KGH rebuild plans for a review at best and cancellation at worst, Rachel Reeves herself said (whilst in Kettering) that I was talking ‘rubbish’. Local residents can now clearly see who was speaking the truth and who was not.

“All of us who live locally know how important KGH is to our local area. The KGH rebuild is the number one local issue. Yet, despite Labour saying during the campaign that the KGH rebuild was safe in its hands, in just 25 days from the election Labour have made a screeching U-turn and placed the whole project in doubt. Local residents will not forget this betrayal.”

Speaking to the Northants Telegraph before General Election Ms Wrighting’s backing of the KGH rebuild formed a key part of her campaign.

She had accused political rival Mr Hollobone of ‘scaremongering’ and said she had already spoken to shadow health secretary Wes Streeting’s team, who ‘told her the money is there’ for it.

In November 2022, KGH said it had received written confirmation from the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England that they could ‘begin to access’ £38m of capital from an initial funding allocation of £46m announced in October 2019.

The money was to ‘start to prepare parts of its site for the major rebuild’, ‘subject to business case approvals and funding’.

KGH had its outline business case for the energy centre approved by Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England’s Joint Investment Committee, but work taking place would be ‘subject to further approvals’.

The hospital had its £4.14m case for electrical infrastructure approved by the New Hospital Programme Investment Committee with work originally due to start in 2023 with delayed to this month.

Enabling works are vital to a future rebuild as the hospital is currently running its heating and hot water from a 10-year-old temporary boiler plant and steam network system, which has regular maintenance issues.

Richard Mitchell, group chief executive of University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and University Hospitals of Leicester, said: “Our new hospital programme is well planned, delivers tangible benefits for our patients and communities, and could proceed at pace. It will also improve our recruitment and retention of NHS colleagues.

“We need to progress with our plans, which help to provide long-term solutions to challenges like the presence of RAAC in the roof of a building which houses maternity services and will create the best environments in which to deliver and receive care.

“We look forward to working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to understand how we can support with the review and continue to progress these vital developments for the good of our patients, colleagues and our local communities.”