James Paget Hospital rebuild confirmed by Labour Government

24th January 2025

This is a fantastic day for Lowestoft, Beccles, and the surrounding villages following the Labour Government’s green light for the James Paget Hospital rebuild.

Following the publication of the Labour Government’s review of the New Hospital Programme yesterday, funding has been confirmed, and a green light has been given for the James Paget Hospital rebuild.

The scheme is desperately needed and after years of false hope, residents in Lowestoft, Beccles, and the surrounding villages will today breathe a sigh of relief that we finally have a timetable for delivery thanks to Labour.

There had previously been years of uncertainty as to whether the scheme would go ahead. The New Hospitals Programme, announced by Boris Johnson in 2020, promised ‘40 new hospitals’ but was delayed by years and not a single new hospital had been constructed by the time the Conservatives left office. Upon coming into power, Labour found that the funding for the programme was shockingly due to run out in March 2025.

A review of the programme was announced after the election to provide a realistic and affordable timetable for delivery and to give patients an honest, realistic, deliverable timetable that they can believe in.

The outcome of that review was announced on Monday 20th January and the New Hospitals Programme has now been put on a sustainable footing, with a timeline that can be met, and a budget that is consistent with the fiscal rules that the Labour Government is operating under.

James Paget Hospital will be part of the first wave of hospitals to be rebuilt, with construction set to begin in 2027-28. The project will prioritise replacing the most affected RAAC-constructed buildings first, followed by other areas of the hospital that remain operational. Key enabling works will include a new multi-storey car park, the relocation of the hospital helipad and solar farm, as well as improvements to utility infrastructure.

I am absolutely delighted. This is the news that residents in Lowestoft, Beccles, and the surrounding villages have been waiting to hear for far too long.

For years we have been led up the garden path with false promises from the Tories about when this desperately needed scheme will finally be underway in our community.

The James Paget Hospital is a vital lifeline for our local communities, providing essential healthcare services to thousands of people. Ensuring its facilities are safe and fit for the future is paramount, and I am proud to have fought for this outcome. It is thanks to this Labour Government that we now have a timetable for delivery, so patients finally get the care they deserve.

Wes Streeting, Labour’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said:

“Since the election, Jess Asato has been banging the drum day and night for the James Paget Hospital rebuild.

“The New Hospital Programme we inherited was unfunded and undeliverable. Not a single new hospital was built in the past five years, and there was no credible plan to build forty in the next five years.

“When I walked into the Department of Health and Social Care, I was told that the funding for the New Hospitals Programme runs out in March. We were determined to put the programme on a firm footing, so we can build the new hospitals our NHS needs.

“We are setting out an honest, funded, and deliverable programme to rebuild our NHS. I am committed to delivering the James Paget Hospital rebuild and to rebuilding our NHS.”