Agenda item

9.23pm – Councillor Andrew Dinsmore moved, seconded by Councillor Amanda Lloyd-Harris, the special motion in their names.

“This council calls on the Government to secure the future of Charing Cross Hospital for all our residents.”

Speeches on the motion were made by Councillors Andrew Dinsmore and Amanda Lloyd-Harris (for the Opposition).

Under Standing Order 15(e)(6), Councillor Jacolyn Daly moved, seconded by

Councillor Adam Peter Lang, an amendment:

“Amend all after “This Council” and replace with:

… agrees the Labour administration and local Labour MPs have a proven record of fighting to secure the future of Charing Cross hospital. The Council recognises that the future of Charing Cross Hospital is secure and reaffirms that Hammersmith & Fulham’s Labour councillors and MPs will always defend it without fear or favour.

The Council recognises the dreadful state the former Conservative government left our National Health Service in - both locally and across our country. It notes that hospitals across the UK suffered chronic underinvestment which now requires billions of pounds to fix and make fit for purpose.

The Council remembers that on 25 May 2023, the Rt Hon Stephen Barclay MP, the Conservative Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced he had removed Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals from the list of hospitals that were up to then a part of the New Hospital Programme announced in 2019 for rebuilding and refurbishment by 2030.

The Council recognises that from then on the Conservative government did not provide any plan, guarantee any funding or offer any date when the refurbishment of Charing Cross, Hammersmith or St Mary’s hospitals would begin - let alone be finished.

The Council therefore welcomes the Labour government’s announcement of a record £25 billion investment into our NHS and notes that Charing Cross Hospital has now been reinstated to the New Hospital Programme with pre-construction work to start in 2030 and the physical works beginning in 2035.

The Council understands the challenges faced by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals. It pledges to work with them and our newly elected local MPs to protect and improve services, urgently refurbish our hospitals and defend our local NHS.

The Council remembers that until the Conservative government capitulated to the Labour Council’s campaign to save Charing Cross Hospital in 2019, Conservative MPs and Hammersmith & Fulham Conservative councillors had worked from 2013 to:

• Demolish the current Charing Cross Hospital
• Sell off most the Charing Cross Hospital site
• Replace the current hospital with a small clinic no more than 13% the size of the current hospital
• Re-brand the clinic as a “local hospital”
• Replace the current A&E with an Urgent Care Clinic
• Re-brand the Urgent Care Clinic a "Class 3 A&E"
• Lose more than 300 and possibly all the acute care beds.

The Council recalls how, rather than tell residents that this was their actual plan, Conservative MPs and our local Conservative councillors falsely claimed they had “saved” Charing Cross Hospital – while knowing full well that calling a small new clinic Charing Cross would be no replacement for the hospital.

The Council also recalls that the previous Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham claimed on numerous occasions last year to have secured the funding for the refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital when this was evidently not the case.

The Council agrees that the public have a right to be told the truth about what has happened and is happening with their local NHS. It therefore deplores the long record of deliberate attempts by Conservative MPs and councillors to mislead local people about Charing Cross Hospital.

This Council recognises the considerable body of evidence that proves people simply cannot trust the Conservatives with our NHS.”

Speeches on the amendment were made by Councillors Jacolyn Daly, Adam Peter Lang, Natalia Perez, Rory Vaughan, Florian Chevoppe-Verdier and Stephen Cowan (for the Administration) and Councillors Adrian Pascu-Tulbure and Jose Afonso (for the Opposition).

The amendment was put to the vote:

FOR                        27

AGAINST                8

NOT VOTING         1

The amendment was declared CARRIED.

Councillor Dinsmore made a speech summing up the debate and the amended motion was put to the vote:

FOR                        27

AGAINST                8

NOT VOTING         1

The amended motion was declared CARRIED.

10.10pm – RESOLVED

This Council agrees the Labour administration and local Labour MPs have a proven record of fighting to secure the future of Charing Cross hospital. The Council recognises that the future of Charing Cross Hospital is secure and reaffirms that Hammersmith & Fulham’s Labour councillors and MPs will always defend it without fear or favour.

The Council recognises the dreadful state the former Conservative government left our National Health Service in - both locally and across our country. It notes that hospitals across the UK suffered chronic underinvestment which now requires billions of pounds to fix and make fit for purpose.

The Council remembers that on 25 May 2023, the Rt Hon Stephen Barclay MP, the Conservative Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced he had removed Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals from the list of hospitals that were up to then a part of the New Hospital Programme announced in 2019 for rebuilding and refurbishment by 2030.

The Council recognises that from then on the Conservative government did not provide any plan, guarantee any funding or offer any date when the refurbishment of Charing Cross, Hammersmith or St Mary’s hospitals would begin - let alone be finished.

The Council therefore welcomes the Labour government’s announcement of a record £25 billion investment into our NHS and notes that Charing Cross Hospital has now been reinstated to the New Hospital Programme with pre-construction work to start in 2030 and the physical works beginning in 2035.

The Council understands the challenges faced by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals. It pledges to work with them and our newly elected local MPs to protect and improve services, urgently refurbish our hospitals and defend our local NHS.

The Council remembers that until the Conservative government capitulated to the Labour Council’s campaign to save Charing Cross Hospital in 2019, Conservative MPs and Hammersmith & Fulham Conservative councillors had worked from 2013 to:

• Demolish the current Charing Cross Hospital
• Sell off most the Charing Cross Hospital site
• Replace the current hospital with a small clinic no more than 13% the size of the current hospital
• Re-brand the clinic as a “local hospital”
• Replace the current A&E with an Urgent Care Clinic
• Re-brand the Urgent Care Clinic a "Class 3 A&E"
• Lose more than 300 and possibly all the acute care beds.

The Council recalls how, rather than tell residents that this was their actual plan, Conservative MPs and our local Conservative councillors falsely claimed they had “saved” Charing Cross Hospital – while knowing full well that calling a small new clinic Charing Cross would be no replacement for the hospital.

The Council also recalls that the previous Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham claimed on numerous occasions last year to have secured the funding for the refurbishment of Charing Cross Hospital when this was evidently not the case.

The Council agrees that the public have a right to be told the truth about what has happened and is happening with their local NHS. It therefore deplores the long record of deliberate attempts by Conservative MPs and councillors to mislead local people about Charing Cross Hospital.

This Council recognises the considerable body of evidence that proves people simply cannot trust the Conservatives with our NHS.