An MP has welcomed confirmation from the government that a new hospital will be built in Cheshire in the coming years.
Connor Naismith, who represents the Crewe and Nantwich constituency, said it was a “fantastic day” for the area.
The Labour government confirmed it would continue to back the rebuild of Leighton Hospital in Crewe, at an estimated cost of between £1bn and £1.5bn.
It comes as Health Secretary Wes Streeting published a review into the New Hospital Programme, originally announced by the Conservative government in 2020.
Mr Streeting said: “The NHS is quite literally crumbling. I have visited hospitals where the roof has fallen in, pipes regularly leak and even freeze over in winter.”
He added: “My commitment to you is that we will deliver these hospitals and rebuild our NHS.”
Mr Naismith described the Leighton Hospital rebuild as “desperately needed”.
“After years of false hope, residents in Crewe and Nantwich will today breathe a sigh of relief that we finally have a timetable for delivery,” he said.
There had previously been uncertainty over the project as the New Hospital Programme – which promised 40 new hospitals – ended up being delayed, with no new hospitals built to date.
Funding for the scheme was due to run out in March 2025, but the Department of Health and Social Care undertook a review which it said had led to the creation of a realistic and affordable timetable for building the new hospitals that patients can now believe in.
Construction work on the new Leighton Hospital is scheduled to begin between 2027 and 2028.
Mr Streeting added: “We were determined to put the programme on a firm footing, so we can build the new hospitals our NHS needs.
“I am committed to delivering a new Leighton hospital and to rebuilding our NHS.”
The government’s review of the New Hospital Programme can be read online.
