More than £95 million is needed to clear the repair backlog at Stepping Hill and Wythenshawe hospitals, both of which serve Stockport residents. 

The figure comes from analysis by the Liberal Democrats, and follows the news that Stepping Hill Hospital recently closed its Outpatient B Department due to safety concerns around the building.

Last year, the cost of hospital repairs across the country reached £11.6 billion. 

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Cheadle Constituency, Tom Morrison, has called for more investment in local hospital buildings. 

"The backlog of repairs is putting the patients and staff across Stockport at risk", he said. "It is completely unacceptable.

"People in Stockport deserve to know that they can go and get the treatment they need in a safe environment. Not having to worry that they are being treated in a place that is collapsing around them.

"The Conservative Party cannot be trusted with our NHS and cannot even be trusted to ensure the basic safety of staff and patients."

Tom Morrison, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Cheadle (Image - Tom Morrison)

The Chancellor's 2023 Autumn Statement saw planned Government expenditure on the NHS increase by 0.86% from £161.1 billion to £162.5 billion in cash terms.

Speaking on behalf of the King's Fund think tank, Siva Anandaciva described this increase as a 'crawl'. 

Addressing the issue of public spending, the Treasury said: "The government has taken difficult but necessary decisions to get debt falling and ensure our public services continue to operate effectively in the face of financial and operational pressures."

In a speech introducing the 2023 Autumn Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: "In today's Autumn Statement for growth our choice is not big government, high spending and high tax because we know that leads to less growth, not more. 

"Instead we reduce debt, cut taxes and reward work."

In December, Mr Morrison and Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader, Daisy Copper MP, wrote to the Secretary of State for Health seeking funding to fix the issues at Stepping Hill's Outpatient B Department.

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