Airedale Hospital is falling apart - a full rebuild is desperately needed: Robbie Moore

But if there is one thing that we have known for a long, long time, it’s that the original hospital building – which was built in the late 1960s with a planned life expectancy of 30 years - is falling apart.

That is why when I was elected as the Member of Parliament for Keighley and Ilkley, I launched my campaign for a full rebuild of Airedale Hospital and to date have lobbied the government on this campaign more than anything else.

Whether that was holding a personal debate on Airedale Hospital in Parliament, lobbying the Prime Minister at PMQs and in separate forums, or holding meetings with the Department of Health and Social Care, I have made it clear to every level of government that sticking plaster solutions for our brilliant local hospital simply will not do.

And I want readers to know that my campaign is making progress.

After visiting Airedale Hospital once again to hear from the fantastic Airedale NHS Foundation Trust about how a rebuild could drastically improve the quality of health services in our area, I held a trio of meetings last month with the Prime Minister, our Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Minister in charge of Hospital Rebuilding, Lord Markham.

And in March, I will meet with the Chancellor and the Prime Minister once again to make the case for a new hospital.

During these meetings, I make sure the government hears about what we here in Keighley, Ilkley, Silsden, the Worth Valley and across Yorkshire know far too well.

Our hospital was built with a planned life expectancy of 30 years.

It has now been over 50 years.

Our hospital is constructed from over 83 per cent aerated concrete – a material known for its dangerous structural defects.

Our hospital has over 50,000 aerated concrete panels running through its walls, floors, and roof – that’s five times more than any other hospital in the UK.

Put simply, the sheer scale of the structural problems at Airedale Hospital necessitate action.

Whilst I recognise that it is a huge sum of funds I am lobbying for, a full rebuild of Aireda le Hospital is about the future of health care provision in our area for generations to come.

It is about ensuring that patients can receive quality care in a modern hospital which is fit for the future, and it means that temporary fixes are quite simply not an option.

And so, just as Airedale has helped us through some of our most challenging times, it is high time that Airedale receives the support it so desperately needs, both for the future of our town and our wider area.

As Keighley and Ilkley’s MP, I will not stop banging the drum for this campaign.

Robbie Moore is Conservative MP for Keighley