Yesterday our Hospital Trust was forced to declare a ‘Critical Incident’ because more people in our area need urgent, emergency and elective care from the NHS than our hospital can provide. The dedicated doctors and nurses who care for patients are facing unprecedented pressures and are working incredibly hard to make sure medical care is there for those who need it.
Even though the Borough Council can now argue to reduce down house building, the current administration has refused to do so. Instead, it is continuing to propose to build 18 000 more new homes in the west of Basingstoke alone. And just a few weeks after starting that consultation to build thousands more new houses, our hospital has had to close its doors because every bed is occupied. That’s why I am calling for a significant cut in the number of new houses being built, to let the NHS and other essential services catch up. The new National Planning Policy Framework means Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council can change their plan and make the case that we face ‘exceptional circumstances’ in our Borough because homes for more than 150 000 people have been built since the 1960’s. Indeed, the Borough’s population has increased by 60% since Basingstoke Hospital was built.
Planning for our new Hospital, which will increase capacity of the NHS in North Hampshire, is now well underway but its doors are currently not scheduled to open until 2032. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council must cut back house building until we have an NHS that has the capacity to cope with the needs of residents. I hope that every resident in Basingstoke will take part in the Public Consultation and have their say https://www.hampshiretogether.nhs.uk/
