Council 'needs to fight' for government to put Central Beds health facilities at the top of the list

Independent Ampthill councillor Mark Smith confirmed the Central East integrated care board (ICB) has submitted “an aspirational pipeline for neighbourhood health centres” in Central Bedfordshire.

Referring to “the need for greater health infrastructure to match our growing population”, he outlined possible locations locally to Central Bedfordshire Council’s social care, health and housing overview and scrutiny committee:

• a new health facility in Leighton Buzzard to support continued growth in and around the town, as well as forecast growth through the Buckinghamshire Local Plan;
• a new health facility in the development area east of Biggleswade;
• an integrated neighbourhood health centre, serving Ampthill and Flitwick, on the Steppingley Hospital community health site;
• a new health facility in Houghton Regis, with a preferred site yet to be identified, although a joint community project in the Linmere housing development is a prospect;
• an already disclosed business case for a consolidated administration base at Shefford for community teams, with a GP practice and community clinics, and expanding the GP clinical space;
• minor reconfiguration to support maximum use of Grove View hub (Dunstable), which meets much of the criteria of a neighbourhood health centre;
• and potential for new facility in the new town proposal at Tempsford.

“We welcome this commitment from the ICB and continue to strive for the health hubs for Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade, Houghton Regis and for Ampthill and Flitwick,” said executive member for adult social care councillor Smith.

Council leader and Independent Potton councillor Adam Zerny explained: “These are aspirations put forward by the ICB to the government.

“The government could say we’re not going to provide the resources to run them. I’ve written to the government today, but we’re very much at its mercy.

“I’m sure we’ll have much more idea when the emerging Local Plan gets to the stage of adoption. We’ve been extremely vocal both with the ICB and the government.

“We’re the only ones writing to the government demanding for these sites to be. These are really important for our area.

“The essence of them is crucially much the same, providing GPs nursing, mental health, physiotherapy, phlebotomy and other services on the one site. We’re in a competitive situation,” he warned.

“The government will be looking at other areas of the country before it allocates the available money.”

Conservative Heath and Reach councillor Mark Versallion said: “I’d like our focus to be on what’s already been built, such as the 2,500 homes at Leighton Buzzard with no extra health facility. Where is the Section 106 money from that housing?”

Councillor Zerny replied: “All Section 106 money from current developments has been allocated, waiting to be spent or will have been spent.

“Ultimately the decision on when that’s spent on new premises comes down to the ICB, which will be running the facilities. There’s a big piece of work to do for the ICB in putting all this together.”

Liberal Democrat Leighton Linslade South councillor Emma Holland-Lindsay, who chairs the committee, acknowledged: “That’s a positive step forward around what our residents have been asking for, but it’s far from clear whether these will be delivered.

“Bearing in mind what Grove View (Dunstable) cost, £50m a year from the government won’t go very far. We need to be fighting to make sure the government puts Central Bedfordshire at the top of the list.”