Crumbling hospital rebuild review 'disappointing'

A campaigner calling for the rebuild of a crumbling hospital said she was "disappointed" the government is to review the project.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk - where hundreds of wooden and steel posts were put in place to prop up the roof - was earmarked to be rebuilt by the Conservatives.

But Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the scheme was to be reviewed as part of her spending audit.

Campaigner Jo Rust said: "I’m disappointed the funding isn't going to be released immediately but it's also a very pragmatic and rational approach that the government has taken."

Ms Rust, an independent councillor on King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, has been campaigning for the hospital to be rebuilt.

"There is disappointment," she said. "But they really couldn't sign up to promises made by the last government.

"So it was realistic to think they were going to have to stop and review all those promises that were made."

Shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt denounced the spending audit as a "shameless attempt to lay the ground for tax rises" later in the year.

He said the Conservatives had been open about the state of the public finances while in power, and Ms Reeves had held talks with Treasury officials before the election.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has been approached for comment.

Ms Reeves also announced a review of £1bn of various transport projects she said were "unfunded".

This may include the proposed £274m Norwich Western Link Road being brought forward by Norfolk County Council.

The 3.9-mile (6.3km) dual carriageway would connect the Broadland Northway at the A1067 with the A47 to the west of Norwich.

The previous government had pledged to fund part of the project.

Gary Blundell, Liberal Democrat councillor for Costessey on South Norfolk Council, started a petition calling for the link road to be built in 2022.

He said it would ease congestion in towns such as Weston Longville, Ringland and Costessey, and the review left people "in limbo".

"People need the security," he said. "They need to know what's going on.

"The costs are just going to keep going up and up, and Norfolk needs an answer.

"I don't think they really want to be waiting until Christmas time to find out if they're going to get the road they desperately need."

Norfolk County Council said it had no intention to comment at this time.

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