Andy Slaughter MP Labour MP for Hammersmith & Chiswick

Hospital Funding News
There was good and bad news in the announcements on the “New Hospitals Programme” last week. All of the Imperial College hospitals, Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Mary’s, now have their place in the programme confirmed and the very substantial funding they will need for improvement will be delivered. However, the major work will now not be completed until towards the end of the next decade.
It’s useful at this time to remember how we got here. Five years ago, Charing Cross was still under threat of demolition, but the seven-year battle fought by residents and the Save Our Hospitals campaign meant that the hospital was saved. However, it was clear at that stage that it, along with St Mary’s and Hammersmith hospitals, would need very substantial investment. Unfortunately, despite putting these schemes into the “New Hospitals Programme,” no funding was allocated and two years ago they were removed from the funded schemes altogether by the previous government.
Since the election we’ve been waiting for the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, to announce the future of the programme. That announcement came on 20 January and it confirmed that all the schemes in the programme would go ahead, but because of the spiralling cost and the addition of new schemes from the collapsing RAAC hospitals, the programme stretched well into the 2030s. What this means for Imperial is that whereas the planning works can begin sooner, the actual rebuilding will now be in the stage three programme which begins in 2035.
Of course this is disappointing, although we can take comfort in the fact that the future of these hospitals is secure and in time they will be funded. In the meantime, they will continue to provide a world class clinical service, but I just wish for the sake of patients and the staff who work there every day that we could accelerate the improvement timetable.
The advantage of the Charing Cross and Hammersmith schemes is that they can be done stage by stage on land that’s already owned and managed by the NHS. The real worry is St Mary’s, which houses the major trauma centre for the whole of West London, which is fast approaching its 200th birthday, and which is in need of urgent rebuilding. The scheme here is far more ambitious: to build a 42 storey brand new hospital part funded by disposing of land in the ownership of the trust, and as a collaboration with Paddington Life Sciences and Imperial College.
Those with long memories will remember the Paddington Basin scheme of 25 years ago, and may remember how difficult this site is to develop. So I welcome the good news that the particular needs of St Mary’s have been recognised. The NHS, Imperial and local authorities have pledged to work together to ensure development can go ahead as soon as possible.
Of course, hospital rebuilding is only one part of the crisis in the NHS which needs to be addressed, and other announcements have been made recently on elective surgery and the work going on to improve primary care and public health. We should not forget who is to blame for this crisis: it’s 14 years of studied neglect by the previous government. But that’s now history and we need to get on, and like previous Labour governments work to ensure the NHS is rebuilt into a world class service.
Trump 2.0
Over the last few weeks there has been some significant news internationally, not least the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza.
But casting a shadow over international politics is the inauguration of Donald Trump, and what this means for the world.
It can be difficult to decipher from his often rambling public announcements what Trump is actually planning and whether he is sincere when he puts forward some of his more outrageous plans, such as seizing control of Greenland, annexing the Panama Canal. and ethnically cleansing Palestinians from Gaza.
What is clear is that his presidency has the potential to bring a huge amount of volatility to not just the US, but the wider world. While some financial markets have responded positively to his election, the threat of tarrifs and trade wars suggests worrying times ahead.
The ceasefire in Gaza is long overdue, as is the welcome release of hostages. It was always necessary for both these things to happen before a long-term plan for peace could be discussed.
But it is difficult not to reflect on the enormous human suffering and death that took place over so many months, and devastated so many lives. Now the real work begins of remedying this, which must include a large-scale humanitarian response to ensure that no more lives are needlessly lost.
I hope this ceasefire holds as it now gives the opportunity for a move to long-term peace in the region. For now we can breathe a sight of relief that the current conflict has ended, but the international community must now begin the work of ending the occupation and making a two-state solution into a reality.
Justice Committee and Parliament
Earlier this month the Justice Committee, which I chair, heard evidence from the Attorney and Solicitor General including on the role of the Law Officers in government, how they uphold the rule of law, ensure we meet our human rights obligations around the world and oversee government agencies like the Serious Fraud Office and CPS.
The Committee has now launched three major inquiries: on rehabilitation of offenders, drugs and organised crime in prisons, and delays in the civil courts. Last week we visited Manchester as part of our work, to look at prisons and the probation services.
Over the last few weeks I have been busy in Parliament, speaking in a debate on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, on the US declaration of a genocide in Sudan, how the delays in the justice system are impacting victims of crime, and on the government’s new prison capacity strategy.
Praise for free social care in H&F
The Observer recently ran an article on the social care crisis, using H&F Council as an example of what can be done to help tackle the issue.
H&F remains the only Council in the UK to offer free home care to residents, and as the article points out, it seems to be having very positive results.
H&F has more residents receiving home care than any other Borough in London. And as a result of this the number of residents living in residential care has fallen by about half in the last decade, meaning more people are able to continue to live in their own homes.
Providing this free care also means that older residents in H&F are much less likely to return to hospital following a discharge.
There may be other benefits to this policy, and the Council has commissioned researchers to look into the other health benefits of providing free care.
Hogarth roundabout
Transport for London has confirmed that the proposed change to close access to Church Street from Hogarth roundabout will not take place.
This decision followed a consultation with local residents and an effective campaign by local residents’ groups.
Hounslow Council’s own transport team expressed reservation about the plans, adding further weight to the arguments against the proposals.
Further details about the decision can be found here.
Out and about in Hammersmith and Chiswick

This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.
Given the significance of this anniversary, King Charles is to visit Auschwitz, becoming the first UK head of state to visit the former Nazi concentration camp.
This morning I attended the Holocaust Memorial Day event in Hammersmith where we were addressed by Hammersmith resident, Lord Alf Dubs, who was one of the children who was brought to safety in the UK as part of the Kindertransport.

Christmas, as always, is a busy time of year for me, and I had the pleasure of enjoy many festive celebrations across the constituency.
On Christmas day, I attended the brilliant Hammersmith and Fulham Big Christmas Day Lunch at the Novotel with hundreds of older residents who would otherwise have spent Christmas alone. This annual event is always such a positive experience, with lunch, gifts and even some dancing.
I was very pleased to be invited to give a reading for the first time at St Nicholas Church in Old Chiswick as part of their carol concert. It was great to celebrate my first Christmas as MP for Chiswick with residents.
On New Year’s Day I attended the New Year service at the London Vihara, where I received blessings from the Chief Sangha Nayaka of Great Britain and Head Monk of the Vihara, Most Ven Bogoda Seelawimala Thera.

I was delighted to celebrate Chanukah at the menorah lighting in Lyric Square, organised by Councillor Laura Janes, with Rabbis Burden and Krichevsky.
However, despite the many festivities, winter can be a difficult time for many, especially those who live alone or who are otherwise vulnerable. H&F Council is financially supporting Warm Welcomes, where anyone looking to find somewhere warm to sit down relax can come along for hot drinks, biscuits with the chance to meet with neighbours and take part in activities.
Every venue is accessible with free to use toilets, and full details of all venues and opening times can be found on the Council’s website.
For those looking to test out their general knowledge, why not try a local pub quiz? H&F Council has a list of pubs across the Borough that host regular quizzes, where locals can pit their wits against each other.
With many pubs struggling with increased costs, it’s a great way to support a local business and make new friends (and rivals!). Details of some popular quiz nights can be found here.
Speaking of pubs, last Wednesday I was at The George IV pub in Chiswick to celebrate the 10th birthday of the Chiswick Calendar.
This fantastic local website was set up by Bridget Osborne and has become a hub for local news as well as running events and a local discount card.
We’re so lucky to have this local resource and I was delighted to be asked to give awards to local people and organisations who have made an outstanding contribution to local Chiswick life over the last year.
Local residents honoured
Congratulations to local residents, Frank Kelly and Sharon Tomlin for being named in The King’s New Years Honours List. Frank is a professor at Imperial College and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to air pollution research and to human health. Sharon was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for the work she does at Sobus, an organisation which supports local charities, community groups and social enterprises.
Council by-elections in H&F

Two Council by-elections will be held in H&F on 20 February 2025.
These are being held in Hammersmith Broadway ward and Lillie Ward.
The vacancies arise as former Mayor, Emma Apthorp, has been appointed to a job with the United Nations in New York, and because of the success of Ben Coleman in becoming the MP for Chelsea and Fulham at the last General Election. We wish them both the best for the future.
If you are unsure what ward you live in, you can check the Council’s website for further details and for a map of each ward:
Full information about the by-election, including the deadlines for registering can be found on the Council’s website.
And please remember, you must bring some form of accepted photo ID to the polling station in order to be able to vote on the day.
It will come as no surprise that I would encourage people to vote for the two excellent Labour candidates, Lydia Paynter and Callum Nimmo.
Lydia is an active local campaigner and is the candidate for Lillie Ward. She is a trustee of Hammersmith United Charities and currently works in advocacy for a malaria charity.
Callum has lived in Hammersmith since graduating from university three years ago and is standing in Hammersmith Broadway. Callum is passionate about building more affordable housing locally, and works as a communications consultant for clients in the public and charitable sectors.
Forthcoming events
This week I am visiting the Hogarth Youth & Community Centre to learn how the centre operates and to learn about the support they give to local young people.
The centre has been running since 1955, and provides personal development opportunities for young people living in the Borough of Hounslow.
I’m keen to learn more about the support they offer, and what central government can do to support their work.
This week I will also be attending the first meeting in three years of the Hammersmith Bridge taskforce.
I won’t go into the full history of the situation regarding the bridge, and I have written about it extensively in previous newsletters. In short, the previous government set up the taskforce to ‘knock heads together’ but given it hadn’t met in three years, you may get some idea of the lack of priority given to this by the Tories.
I’m glad that the new government has reconvened the taskforce and is meeting with local MPs and stakeholders to move things forward.

Finally, I was very sad to hear of the passing of Louanne Tranchell earlier this month. Louanne was a principled and dynamic campaigner who was always fighting on behalf of local people in H&F.
She was elected as a Labour Councillor in 1994, and was instrumental in the running of the Hammersmith Community Trust.
Louanne’s daughter, Imogen, has written a beautiful tribute, which you can read here.
Her principles, her patience and her tenacity were examples to all of us. I know she will be sadly missed by the many people whose lives she touched, and my thoughts are with her family.