On 25 May 2023, the Government announced that the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital was going ahead following the campaign by Greg Hands MP and Conservative Councillors.
Funding is secure for the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital.
Welcoming the news, Greg Hands MP said: “I and my family have used Charing Cross Hospital for more than 30 years, and I know first-hand how important this service is. I am delighted to have helped secure this funding so our hospital can have a floor-by-floor refurbishment and residents can have access to the health care they need.”
The Secretary of State for Health, Steve Barclay MP, said: “After many conversations with Greg, who has been a relentless champion for local hospitals, I am pleased to confirm the full refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital. This investment will benefit patients and staff by ensuring the hospital is fit for the future, and I will continue to work closely with Greg as work progresses.”
The works will begin in 2024, subject to survey works.
Works are expected to begin in 2024, subject to successful survey works. This includes a floor-by-floor refurbishment and the creation of a brand-new energy centre to make Charing Cross Hospital greener, sustainable and more cost efficient. We had hoped that the floor-by-floor refurbishment would be completed by 2030. However, the Covid-19 Pandemic has caused considerable damage to our national finances, and therefore the refurbishment will take longer than previously thought.
H&F Labour scrambled to spin the news.
On 26 May 2023, the Deputy Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council published a newsletter using council resources to thousands of residents with the headline: ‘Charing Cross Hospital Refurbishment Scrapped’. He used this headline knowing full well that the Government had confirmed the funding for the floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross the day before.
H&F Conservatives are calling on the Deputy Leader to apologise for his dishonest statement and on LBHF to issue a full correction to residents. Cllr Amanda Lloyd-Harris, Conservative Spokesman for Health and Adult Social Care, has written to the Chief Executive, Sharon Lea, setting out our official complaint against Cllr Ben Coleman.
It is inappropriate and dangerous for H&F Labour to abuse their position by using taxpayer-funded resources to push false political messaging which undermines local democracy. As the local Conservatives, we are committed to upholding high standards in public life. We call on H&F Labour to abandon their dishonest tactics aimed at misleading residents for political gain.
Labour Lies on Charing Cross Hospital are not new.
In 2017, Labour-run LBHF ran a leaflet ‘Save Charing Cross Hospital – stand with us to fight the latest closure plan’. This prompted the NHS to write to the Labour Leader about the leaflet’s “incorrect and misleading claims”, pointing out that “there have never been any plans to close Charing Cross Hospital.”
Link to NHS Statement: https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/-/media/website/about-us/news/letter-to-cll…
