This morning’s announcement made ahead of the Conservative party annual conference that a Tory government will plough £13billion in to the NHS looks set to be a significant one for Hastings.

The Conquest Hospital on The Ridge is earmarked for investment in the second phase of government spending plans and talking to Hastings In Focus from his party’s conference venue in Manchester Rob Lee, the Conservative group leader on Hastings Borough Council, said the news was a tremendous boost for the town.

“We’re talking about many tens of millions of pounds coming to Hastings. What is being planned is effectively the rebuilding of the hospitals that have been highlighted in the government’s proposals, this really is fantastic news for our town,” he said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement today that 40 new hospitals will replace outdated buildings and equipment and tomorrow Health Secretary Matt Hancock will put more flesh on the bones of the proposal outlining how much will be spent where and when.

Remarks widely reported in today’s newspapers have the Prime Minister saying he plans to embark on: “the biggest programme of hospital building in a generation,” saying that spending on the NHS is ‘absolutely central’.

The remaining projects, including up to a dozen smaller rural hospitals, will be completed over the second half of the next decade.

In total, the Government is preparing to spend £13?billion constructing what it classes as new hospitals, which officials say would involve either entirely new buildings or the gutting of existing structures to replace facilities with state-of-the-art equivalents.

Mr Lee said: “It is great to hear about these plans and even better to know that our general hospital in Hastings has been earmarked for such a major investment and modernisation. I’m looking forward to hear Mr Hancock’s speech tomorrow to find out more.”

Six hospitals have been listed for investment in the first phase of the work to take place starting next year and running through until 2025, these are:

• Whipps Cross Hospital, in Leytonstone, East London
• Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust
• West Hertfordshire NHS Trust
• Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust
• University Hospitals of Leicester Trust
• Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.

The second phase sees 12 community hospitals, including The Conquest, set to be overhauled between 2025 and 2030.