Autumn Statement: Government allowing Wokingham's health service to crumble

Before the Autumn Statement, Liberal Democrats had been calling for the Chancellor to invest in a robust NHS rescue plan as ever-growing treatment backlogs have stalled the economy, damaging both growth and quality of life. 

These measures would have included reversing Conservative cuts to vital public health services in Wokingham and delivering 8,000 more GPs across the country to create 65 million more GP appointments every year.

Additionally, the Autumn Statement did not set out a plan to fund a new Royal Berkshire hospital  despite this being previously promised by the Conservatives in 2019.

It comes as the Liberal Democrats have warned that treatment backlogs are damaging economic growth after a poll commissioned by the party showed that one in seven people had taken a significant length of time off work whilst waiting for treatment on the NHS.

Apart from ignoring the crisis in our health service, the Chancellor proposed tax changes that will not ‘touch the sides’ after years of unfair tax hikes that our local MP John Redwood has consistently voted in favour of. 

Clive Jones, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Wokingham, said:

“This Conservative Government seems completely content to sit back and allow Wokingham’s local health services to continue to be a struggle despite the efforts of our very hard working health care professionals who continue to do excellent work for us in very challenging conditions.. 

"There is still no news on the promised new hospital that the Conservatives promised in the General election campaign of 2019.

“The Conservatives are either so out of touch they cannot see how many people are struggling to access healthcare, or they simply do not care.

“The Autumn Statement was an opportunity to get people off NHS waiting lists and allow them to return to work so we can rescue our flatlining economy. 

“Instead we got empty promises, stale nonsense and a tax cut that’s not even a drop in the ocean compared to the extra taxes that we have been paying under this Conservative government.”