The Chancellor will today announce the green light for the £420 million redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital to proceed.
Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, spoke of delight this morning following the news that his campaign to secure £420 million of Government funding to redevelop the Royal Sussex County Hospital in the constituency has been successful.
Simon said: “Today’s announcement is great news for local people. Huge congratulations must go to the team at the Royal Sussex who worked so hard to put forward such a compelling case. It is only right that patients and staff will now have the very best facilities they deserve.
“I have been actively campaigning for a long time now for the £420 million funding to redevelop the Royal Sussex Hospital and would thank everyone who supported my campaign and took the time to sign my hospital petition, which I am sure made a real difference.”
The MP has been active on this issue since being elected, including handing over a petition signed by thousands of local residents to the Health Secretary, repeatedly questioning the Prime Minister and Chancellor about the proposed investment and bringing Cabinet Ministers to Brighton to visit the hospital and learn more about the campaign.
The Chancellor George Osborne. MP said: “Simon Kirby has proved a tireless and effective campaigner for this major re-development which will hugely benefit the people of Brighton and the surrounding area.”
Simon added: “It is right and proper that there was detailed scrutiny before the Government committed such a huge amount of money, but through my repeated efforts I left the Chancellor, Prime Minister and Health Secretary in no doubt as to the importance of this money for patients and staff here in Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven.
“Today is an excellent day for the NHS here in Brighton Kemptown, Peacehaven and the wider area and I am pleased to have played a role in making this much needed new hospital a reality.”
Nancy Platts, the Labour Parliamentary candidate for Kemptown and Peacehaven, responded to the news saying: “I welcome the news of the funding but it raises questions about why it has taken so long. The previous Labour government laid the foundations for this work years ago but the Government is only approving the funding now.
“There have already been too many delays over recent years, what we need now are assurances that the money will be quickly released so that work can begin straight away.
“For too long we’ve had to put up with a hospital that pre-dates Florence Nightingale, this news is a victory for people power and common sense, not politicians. There has been a long running campaign to bring the hospital up to standard and I want to congratulate the staff and local people who kept on raising the issue.”
Mike Weatherley, the Conservative MP for Hove and Portslade, along with his colleague Simon Kirby, has also been lobbying Ministers for the funding for the Brighton & Sussex NHS Hospitals Trust to be granted.
Mike said: “This funding is excellent news for NHS provision in Brighton & Hove. A new, state-of-the-art hospital has been long overdue and I am pleased that the Government has listened to the needs of local residents. While the redevelopment will take a number of years to complete, this announcement is a strong commitment from the Government to provide long-term quality healthcare suitable for the 21st century.”
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