A LOCATION for Warrington’s new hospital could be selected by January – but concerns have been raised over the town competing with Halton for Government cash.

Health chiefs have been considering a long list of secret sites for the proposed new facility in the town, with the potential for the current Lovely Lane site also included.

Lucy Gardner, director of strategy at Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Trust, delivered a presentation on the matter during Thursday’s health scrutiny committee meeting.

As concerns over the hospital’s ageing estate mount, concerns have been raised over the ‘battle’ with maintenance costs.

During the Town Hall meeting, members were told more than £2 million has been invested into the site over the past 12 months.

But, by 2028, hospital bosses expect there to be backlog in costs of around £30 million.

Efforts are now firmly turning to developing a business case for a new site in Warrington.

Ms Gardner said: “We need to have a really clear strategic case as to why we need it.

“We have agreed, locally, that we need a new hospital and wellbeing campus.”

A bid for £350 million of national funding has already been turned down but it did not come as a surprise to senior figures.

Ms Gardner said: “We didn’t anticipate that we would get that funding.

“The reason we did that was to make sure, nationally, people were aware of our intentions, so when we have an opportunity to bid for national funding later on that we had a better chance of securing that funding.”

The next steps comprise deciding on the specific services that will be provided in the new facility, as well as choosing a location.

An indicative target date for picking a location has been set at December this year, alongside the business case.

Ms Gardner said: “Another key step is to decide on the location for the new hospital and everything that sits around it.”

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Former council leader Cllr Ian Marks told her he was ‘slightly worried’ Warrington’s proposal is behind Halton’s vision for a new facility, before asking if there could be a ‘clash’ between the pair when it comes to bidding for money.

Furthermore, Cllr Paul Warburton asked whether a proposal for one site could be put forward, rather than for two developments, to centralise services in a cheaper manner.

He added: “Do you think that there is a high likelihood that one trust – Warrington and Halton Trust – would actually get funding for two health campuses?”

Ms Gardner told members there is a benefit of the two working alongside each other, while confirming it is likely there would be a need to progress with plans for two sites.

She also highlighted the importance of providing services locally to residents in the areas and said the services offered at each site would be ‘quite different’, if they were built.

“We are unlikely to bid in the next national capital round for Halton, but we would definitely be doing for Warrington,” she added.