Oral Answers to Questions

Joe Powell Excerpts

Wednesday 4th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Louise Haigh]

Cuts made over the previous decade severely impacted the most deprived communities, and we inherited an outdated, unfair funding system that no longer reflected where pressures are greatest. The final settlement for Richmond council makes available more than £223 million, but I will ensure that the relevant Minister meets the hon. Lady to discuss how we take this matter forward.

[Joe Powell (Kensington and Bayswater) (Lab)]

Q15. St Mary’s hospital in Paddington has a proud, near-200-year history, from the discovery of penicillin to becoming one of the country’s first major trauma centres, but the estate is now old and crumbling, with the highest maintenance backlog across the entire NHS. The Conservatives put St Mary’s at the back of the queue, delaying funding for construction. Can the First Secretary reassure my community that innovative financing models will be considered, including the potential to realise new fiscal devolution powers, to get the construction of a new St Mary’s under way as soon as possible?