The pause by Rachel Reeves on plans to build 40 new hospitals “must be as short as possible” to deliver on pledges to drive down waiting lists, the NHS confederation has warned.
There was also anxiety across the political spectrum, including among Labour MPs, about what the move would mean for crumbling hospitals affected by the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) crisis.
In other reaction to the chancellor’s cuts to bricks and mortar projects, builders and campaigners warned that axing plans in road and rail risked harming badly needed efforts to boost growth.
There was relief Reeves had spared projects including HS2 or road schemes including the Lower Thames Crossing, rendering the infrastructural consequences of her announcement less stark than had been expected.
But the review of the previous government’s plan for 40 new hospitals prompted unease. The NHS Confederation, which represents the healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said health executives recognised it presented an opportunity to cut waiting lists.
However, it warned: “In hospitals and other services where there are collapsing roofs, broken equipment and outdated facilities, with each day that passes without a longer-term fix more funding is having to be used to provide short-term solutions to allow for the provision of patient care to continue.
“For the government to be able to deliver on their key pledge to drive down waiting lists and ensure the NHS is fit for the future, the pause to the delivery of the new hospitals programme must be as short as possible and NHS leaders need clarity about timelines.”
While Tory MPs criticised the chancellor over pausing their flagship £20bn new hospital programme, launched by Boris Johnson, others such as the Liberal Democrat MP Al Pinkerton urged her to prioritise spending on Raac-affected buildings.
Labour backbenchers were restrained on the question of the hospitals. Stella Creasy, whose Walthamstow constituency was earmarked for one of the 40, said it was becoming “painfully clear” how much of a mess the public finances are in but she added: “Hospitals like Whipps Cross have been left in limbo racking up bills that mean it’s more expensive not to act than to get on with the rebuild.”
In other sectors, the National Federation of Builders said: “Today is not a good day for growth” after the pausing of the new hospitals, cancelling the A303 and A27 road improvements and reviewing the Restoring Your Railway programme.”
Sam Richards, a former No10 adviser to Johnson and now the chief executive of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, warned that projects in the Restoring Your Railway Fund – like the Tavistock railway line – were vital to delivering prosperity in parts of the country that do not get the same focus as London and the south-east.
Rico Wojtulewicz, the head of policy at the group that represents small and medium-sized housebuilders, also warned of a potentially “bumpy 12 months” against the backdrop of the downgrading of construction growth forecasts.
Separately, there was a mixture of relief and anger at the announcement that the controversial Stonehenge tunnel project is being halted.
Tom Holland, the historian and president of the Stonehenge Alliance, which opposes the tunnel, said: “This monstrous white elephant should have been put out of its misery long ago.”
The archaeologist David Jacques said it was “joyous news”, adding: “The landscape will be there for future generations with advanced technology to research and interpret the place anew.”
King Arthur Pendragon, an archdruid and veteran roads campaigner, said: “It doesn’t mean we won’t have to fight it all over again in the future. We shall remain vigilant.”
Local Conservative politicians criticised the move. Richard Clewer, the leader of Wiltshire county council, said hundreds of millions of pounds had already been spent and three months’ worth of work on electricity cables had completed.
“This is consistently one of the top five UK hotspots for traffic congestion when the roads get busy. Cancelling it without having an alternative just leaves that traffic problem sitting there.”
