Last updated at 16:04, Monday, 30 July 2012

Campaigners have welcomed news that the Government has finally agreed more than £70 million of funding for west Cumbria’s new hospital.

The money will be combined with £20m of local NHS cash to fund a major redevelopment at the current West Cumberland Hospital site in Hensingham, Whitehaven.

Demolition of some parts of the hospital has already been carried out and building had been scheduled to start earlier this month. But it stalled due to delays in securing final Treasury approval, prompting fears in the community about the project’s future.

But the North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Whitehaven and Carlisle hospitals, has now announced that the cash is finally being released.

The Rev John Bannister, of the Save Our Services hospital campaign group, said he was “relieved” by the news.

Full story in tomorrow's News & Star

First published at 16:03, Monday, 30 July 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk