Anger over delay to planned new health centre at former Keighley College site
Plans for a new Health and Wellbeing Centre in Keighley date back over a decade
A KEIGHLEY Councillor has been assured that a town centre health facility will be built after he slammed the lack of progress over several years.
Plans for a new Health and Wellbeing Centre in Keighley date back over a decade – and the facility is due to be built on the former Keighley College site on North Street.
Despite securing millions of pounds in funding from the Keighley Towns Fund – a £33m pot of cash awarded to the town by the previous Conservative Government – there has been very little progress on the site in recent years.
At a meeting of Bradford Council’s Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, members were given an update on the various schemes being funded through the Towns Fund.
The fund is a partnership between the Council, local businesses and other organisations, such as the NHS.
Some schemes have already been completed, such as the £6.5m industrial development Providence Park, the refurbishment of Low Street and the introduction of real time bus information boards at sites across Keighley.
But a report to members revealed some of the project are classed as “red” – meaning there have been serious delays or other setbacks.
One of these is the long-promised health hub, which is expected to bring services that are currently offered in Airedale Hospital to the town centre,
The centre had been hailed as a way of improving health outcomes in Keighley, a town where there is a lower life expectancy than in other parts of the Bradford District.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Councillor Amjad Zaman (Lab, Keighley Central) said: “At this moment in time, people in Keighley Central live 10 years less than other areas of the District.
“This (health centre) should be the number one priority.”
Passionately addressing Council officers, he said: “Is it right that my mother and father die 10 years earlier because they live in a deprived area?
“Airedale Hospital can’t take more people on. This needs to be done. There is nothing more important than the lives of people who live in Keighley.
“We’ve talked about this for years and years, there is nothing happening. This isn’t getting done. Do I have to look my mum in the eye and tell her she’s going to die 10 years earlier than she should?
“We can help with the quality of people’s lives with this centre.
“It is a brownfield site, why is it taking so long? Will it happen in my lifetime? I’m not being sarcastic.
“Every person in Keighley deserves an answer. When will we get answers? Do we have to get the T&A involved?”
Dave Shepherd, Director of Place on the Council, said: “These are extremely valid points, and I share your passion for overcoming this unfair life expectancy issue. That has to be the centre of everything we do.
“The health and wellbeing centre is causing frustration. It is using Towns Fund money, but the NHS is the determining body as to what services will be at the centre.
“We’re playing a very, very strong role in trying to drive the NHS to make the project happen, and fast.”
He pointed out that the Airedale Hospital rebuild project had a budget of £1.5 billion, adding: “One of the big things the NHS has to decide is what services stay in the hospital and what services will move into the community. We’re working with them to decide what goes into the health and wellbeing centre so we can nail down the project and what is going to be in this centre.
“There is more momentum behind this project than there has been before. We’re really committed to making this project happen.”
Councillor Alex Ross Shaw, Executive for Regeneration, Planning and Transport on the Council, said: “This is the number one priority from our perspective.
“The reason this project still exists is because of Bradford Council pushing it and making sure it has stayed on the table when the NHS has struggled.
“It will consolidate 200 jobs in the town centre – this is a huge project for Keighley. But we’re in a frustrating phase of the project.
“There is a lot of momentum, but people will only believe it is happening when there are spades in the ground. Until buildings are up there will still be doubts about this, but to us it is priority number one.”
Cllr Zaman said he understood some things were out of the Council’s hands, but said it was important they pushed for more action.
Mr Shepherd added: “The Airedale Hospital board take this extremely seriously, I’m convinced they’re committed to providing a really good facility in the centre.”