Shipley MP “truly delighted” at news desperately needed Airedale Hospital rebuild will go ahead

Anna Dixon MP for the Shipley constituency, has strongly welcomed the announcement from the new Labour government that the desperately needed rebuilding of Airedale General Hospital will proceed.  

Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, confirmed in the House of Commons yesterday that work on the hospital will be part of the highest priority delivery wave. Construction is expected to start between 2027 and 2028, and the budget is £1 billion to £1.5 billion.  

Airedale Hospital, which is used by many residents of the Shipley constituency, was built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) and was initially earmarked for a complete rebuilding under the previous government's New Hospitals Programme. 

However, in August 2024, the government set up a review of NHS building projects after it was discovered that funding for the New Hospitals Programme was due to expire in March 2025.  

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Anna Dixon MP said: “Last autumn, I met with the Secretary of State (Wes Streeting) to discuss the rebuild of the Raac-infested Airedale General Hospital.  

“I would like to reiterate my thanks on behalf of my constituents who are being treated as patients in wards propped up and the ceiling falling in for the ministerial team's work to ensure this vital new hospital goes ahead with a deliverable timetable and sustainable funding plan. 

Talking about the rebuild announcement later, the Shipley MP added: “I am truly delighted that today, the new Labour government has committed funds to ensure that Airedale Hospital will be fully rebuilt. 

"For years, we have been misled by false promises from the Conservative Party regarding when this desperately needed scheme will finally begin. 

"Thanks to this Labour government, we now have a clear timetable for delivery, ensuring that patients in the Shipley constituency will receive the care they deserve." 

Responding to Anna Dixon in the Commons, Wes Streeting said: “I know that her constituents will not only welcome the news that the rebuild of Airedale General Hospital will begin in 2027 to 2028.  

“But they will be appalled that, as a Raac hospital, work could have been underway already were the request for funding from the Department of Health and Social Care not denied by the woman who is now leader of the Conservative Party.”