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Harrogate MP to "hold government's feet to the fire" after hospital rebuild delay

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 07:43

Tom Gordon MP has reacted to the news that the construction of Leeds General Infirmary has been delayed.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has promised to "hold the government to account" following the announcement that the construction of Leeds General Infirmary will start in 2032 at the earliest.

Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) is one of the largest hospitals in West Yorkshire, and serves a wide area including Harrogate, acting as a hub for the region.

Work at LGI for a new building had been promised first by Boris Johnson and the Conservatives for completion by 2030.

The Health Secretary has now announced that construction on the project will start between 2032 and 2034, but did not say when the project was expected to be completed.

Tom Gordon said patients could not “have any more delays”.

They also called on the Government to release its impact assessment into what the delays to the completion of the project would mean for patients in Leeds and the wider region, and urged the Government to stick to these dates and not delay them again.

Mr Gordon said:

“I’m utterly dismayed. The news that Leeds General Infirmary won’t begin rebuilding work until the 2030s is horrifying.

“Many of my constituents in Harrogate and Knaresborough use the hospital, and it is a hub for the region.

“Many thousands of people across Leeds, West Yorkshire and parts of North Yorkshire will be extremely disappointed with this news.

“They were failed by the Conservative government, and now they are being failed again, and in Rachel Reeve’s backyard as well."

He added:

“The Health Secretary must immediately publish the impact assessment of what delays to completing LGI will mean for people across Leeds and the surrounding area.

“I will hold the Government’s feet to the fire and fight for bringing the funding forward.”

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