Harrogate MP delighted that cash to fix 'crumbly concrete' has been secured for Harrogate Hospital
Confirmation that Harrogate District Hospital has now secured the £14 million in funding it needs to remove ‘crumbling concrete’ or Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) has been welcomed by the town’s MP.
The news follows a long-standing Liberal Democrat campaign led by Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon, who made securing investment for Harrogate District Hospital a top priority before entering Parliament in July 2024.
Since being elected, the MP has raised questions about the hospital in Parliament, writing directly to the new Health Secretary Wes Streeting, speaking with ministers, and pressing the case both publicly and behind the scenes.
Last month, during the Government’s Spending Review, Mr Gordon challenged Ministers over the absence of detail on which NHS hospitals would benefit from newly announced RAAC funding – calling out the omission of Harrogate and demanding urgent clarity from the Health and Social Care Minister.
Days later, confirmation came through that the final tranche of funding – £14 million – would be allocated to Harrogate.
The Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has now confirmed to Mr Gordon that the funding has arrived.
Harrogate’s MP said: “This is a huge moment for Harrogate Hospital and I’m proud to have played a leading role in making it happen.
“Before I was elected, I campaigned to get our hospital the investment it needed.
"Now I’m delivering that change in Parliament.
"This has been a sustained fight over several years but I never gave up because our communities deserve a safe, modern, fully-funded hospital.”
The problems with part of the build at Harrogate District Hospital are long-rooted.
The first section of the Lancaster Park Road hospital was built in 1975 during a period when RAAC was often used in the construction of public buildings
The £14m will go toward essential estates works at the hospital, including the removal of RAAC across the hospital site.
Crucially, the same funding will also help Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust deliver new facilities at the hospital, including the development of the Day Case Surgery and Imaging Centre, a major boost for health care in the district.