Basingstoke: Rishi Sunak says all 40 hospitals by 2030

In a BBC Breakfast interview on Thursday, May 23, the prime minister was asked about the Government's pledge to build the hospitals.

Basingstoke was selected to participate in the 2019 programme, as the current hospital, which opened in the 1970s, is 'in need of a rebuild'.

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Presenter Charlie Stayt asked Rishi Sunak where he was on the pledge, which formed part of the Government's manifesto.

Mr Sunak said: "I haven't got the numbers in front of me, but the majority have already got planning permission, there are spades in the ground and we have made sure we have prioritised those affected by RAC"

In response to whether they will be built by 2030, Mr Sunak reassured the public, saying: "Of course. Yes they will. Yes. Yes Yes. The hospitals will be built. "

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) was one of eight sites delayed with a new hospital not delivered until the 2030s.

HHFT has been told it will receive between £700m and £900m to build a new hospital.

However, National Hospital Programme leaders in the Government are yet to approve the national business case, meaning funding allocations from 2025 and 2026 onwards have not yet been approved.

SEE ALSO: Town's MP calls for new hospital build to be brought forward after government delays​

As previously reported, Basingstoke MP Maria Miller is calling for an earlier delivery of the scheme.

She has written to the Health Secretary and the Chancellor calling for the building of the town's hospital to be brought forward.

Dame Maria said quicker delivery of the new hospital will reduce expenditure on repairs and create ‘cash releasing’ benefits such as reducing energy use and improving staff retention.

She added that the site should be built on land at Junction 7 of the M3, rather than at the current site of Basingstoke Hospital.