Leeds City Council is calling for new hospitals as current facilities are ‘falling apart’

Leeds City Council is calling for new hospitals to be built, with one councillor saying current facilities are simply “falling apart”.

This comes as, in a recent meeting, councillors showed their support for proposals to build new hospitals at Leeds General Infirmary.

Redevelopment plans on the site include building a new adult and children’s hospital and a maternity centre.

There are also proposals for an “Innovation Village” in Leeds. These buildings would provide a new home for research and health technology, creating more than 4,000 new jobs and 1,000 homes.

The plans are included as part of a programme created by the former Conservative government in 2019. The programme outlined the building of 40 new hospitals, including one in Leeds.

However, it has been subject to constant delay with only the Dyson Cancer Centre in Bath being built since the programme launched.

These delays have also supposedly cost the NHS £300 million.

Professor Phil Wood, the Chief Executive of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust said in the council meeting: “The backlog is a significant challenge for the hospital and the costs continue to accelerate until we have the new facility.”

Conservative Group Leader, Councillor Alan Lamb, added: “All politicians on all sides have agreed that this needs to happen for Leeds. I very much hope that on the 30th of October, the chancellor will stand up and confirm the funding.”

Conservative Councillor Barry Anderson also expressed the importance of the investment, telling The Leeds Tab: “If we don’t get it, how much are they going to have to find in order to maintain the hospital in it’s current position? It’s an old Victorian hospital. It’s falling apart.”

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