FOI confirms Southend Hospital is not at the “end of its life”, as falsely claimed by Labour, so it should not be demolished for their fantasy vision to build a new one on Bournes Green green belt.

This blog covers a follow-up to Labour’s intent to close Southchurch Library due to it falsely being said that it was at the “end of its life” and “beyond repair”. With an FOI proving otherwise, after they then announced the demolition of Southend Hospital for the same reason, I took the same action and asked the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Hospital Trust for an FOI to determine the truth. I received this earlier today and I can confirm Labour’s proclamation to be categorically untrue.

Was Southchurch Library at the “end of its life”?

I have read the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Independent Group’s draft budget for 2026/27 and I had to re-read several times to see if what I saw was correct regarding Southchurch Library.

Buried deep in the report is £350,000 earmarked for Southend Adult College that would see the closure of Southchurch Library and the so-called ‘provision’ moved somewhere into their building, alongside a hairdressers for an apprenticeship programme.

It is worth comparing this figure with the £250,000 estimate to repair the Southchurch Library building, as per the 2023 report carried out for the council, by the council. Members of the administration said Southchurch Library is “beyond repair” and “at the end of its life”, but the only thing in the report, by the report’s own definition, was the hot water heater at a cost of £2K!

I put in an FOI request to the council and was sent a council report that reviewed the condition of Southchurch Library and broke down just where the £250K figure came from.

It is of course open to interpretation, and there will be those that fully accept the estimates provided and whether the work should be carried out as necessary, but it goes as follows:

• The carpet and vinyl flooring had some “wear and tear”, and the staff kitchen could do with replacing as it “looks dated” - all for £10K;

• they would set aside £30K to replace the fluorescent strip lighting for LEDs;

• £20K to replace a few fire resistant doors;

• £20K to take out an unused sanitary incinerator in the staff toilet;

• £30K to repair the pavement outside the building;

• and £15K as ‘consideration should be given to replace the fibre board ceiling as it is in fair condition”.

I could be wrong, but it appears as though the £250K could be halved at the very least. Either that or the proposed repairs would see Southchurch Library transformed into the Ritz!

Perhaps they might point to savings via operational costs with the inevitable sacking of two librarians and general upkeep of the building, but I would argue this is all minuscule compared with the £94 million capital budget and £437 million revenue budget.

After 50 years of standing, Southchurch Library is, by the definition of their own council report, not at the end of its life. Confelicity has voted in favour of keeping it just where it is and repair what needs repairing.

With 390 signatures backing to save Southchurch Library, we are not on our own. The petition is open until March, so if you haven’t signed it, here is the link: https://democracy.southend.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=124&RPID=34024828&HPID=34024828

I would also add that if the council are proposing that “moving provision” is not closing libraries, then are all the other libraries in Southend under the same threat of closure?

Is Southend Hospital at the “end of its life” too?

Why am I being so pedantic over Southchurch Library? Because, as a resident of Southend all my life, I have witnessed the disappearance of many facilities including my very favourite, Warrior Square swimming pool. Boy, could we do with a destination location that would bring people to Southend High Street - a couple of skate ramps just doesn’t seem to be doing the trick.

Other notable disappearances include: Thorpe Bay High School; South East Essex College; Southend Library; and now we will be enduring the reckless decision to fill in the Queensway underpass to avoid paying a £15 million grant back.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, they announce their desire to demolish Southend Hospital, proclaiming it, just as they did with Southchurch Library, to be “at the end of its life”. This, of course, is just a carrot to win our approval to build 10,000 unaffordable houses on green belt land by Bournes Green as they reckon they could conjure billions of pounds to build a new hospital on that land, but I am now in a position to shed some light on what has been said.

I put in a Freedom of Information request to the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust to find out just whether the condition of our hospital is demolition worthy, as per Southend Labour’s assertions and, once again, I can announce it to be untrue.

I have published the full correspondence in the appendices, but here are the responses to my questions:

• “None of the surveys or assessments held by the Trust conclude that the Southend Hospital site, as a whole, is at, end of asset or economic life”

• “The Trust holds no strategic reviews, business cases, or options appraisals that recommend the closure, wholesale replacement, relocation, or major rebuild of Southend Hospital primarily on the grounds that the site is at the end of its life, not viable, or no longer fit for purpose”

• “While some elements of the estate are assessed as being in poor condition or approaching the end of their operational life, these findings apply to individual buildings, building systems, or plant rather than the viability of the hospital site as a whole.”

• “The Trust does not hold any briefings or correspondence provided to MPs, councillors, or political parties that describe Southend Hospital as “at the end of its life” or use equivalent terminology.”

• “The Trust does not hold any reports, assessments, or other documents that conclude that Southend University Hospital is at the end of its life, no longer fit for purpose as a whole, or otherwise not viable for continued long‑term use.”

I was dumbfounded when the FOI responses came through. It bears no resemblance to what Labour have stated and to be honest I’m becoming a little angry over what are clear mis-truths said to suit their agenda to tear up the green belt and squash another 30,000 people in our already packed town.

This comes on top of them telling us the green belt land was “low agricultural land” and “dead land”, which is the very opposite of the council’s assessment that states it is “high grade” , which can be found in their very own Local Plan Preferred Approach document (see appendix 2).

Make no mistake, this information regarding the hospital is a revelation and in normal life there would be serious consequences for those who are so loose with their words. Essentially, they want to knock down a perfectly functioning hospital and have us believe we will receive billions of pounds despite the country being in £3 trillion of debt!

It seems we cannot take our eyes off our political leaders for a second otherwise we will continue to suffer the consequences.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just maintain our buildings rather than pull them down? Even better would be asking Southend residents what we really want. Either way, wouldn’t it be a luxury if we could just get the truth?!

Appendices

Appendix 1

Dear Mr Miller,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request dated 27.01.2026, which has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). 

Your request and our response are as follows: 

Information Required

FOI Question

Our response

I am seeking copies of any documents held by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust that support or evidence claims that Southend University Hospital (Prittlewell Chase site) is “at the end of its life”, no longer fit for purpose, or otherwise not viable for continued long-term use.

Please provide the following information (my questions are in bold):

1. Any estates condition surveys, infrastructure assessments, or engineering reports from the last 10 years that state or conclude that the hospital buildings or site are at, near, or beyond the end of their usable or economic life.

Answer:

The Trust holds estates condition surveys and engineering assessments relating to specific buildings and infrastructure components across the Southend Hospital site. These reports identify a range of condition‑related issues associated with the age, design, and technical limitations of individual buildings or plant items. In several cases, certain components or areas of the estate are assessed as being at, or approaching, the end of their operational or economic life due to age, deterioration, or non‑compliance with modern healthcare standards.

In addition, the Trust’s annual submissions to the NHS Estate Return Information Collection (ERIC) reflect these challenges. ERIC data for Southend Hospital consistently identifies significant backlog maintenance requirements across parts of the estate, particularly in relation to ageing building fabric, mechanical and electrical systems, and areas that do not meet current clinical or regulatory standards. These ERIC returns are consistent with the findings of condition surveys, indicating that some elements of the estate are at or nearing the end of their asset life and require substantial investment to sustain safe and efficient operation. 

However, because Southend Hospital comprises a wide variety of buildings of different ages, construction types, and technical performance, these findings apply only to the individual elements assessed. The diversity of the estate means that such conclusions cannot be applied uniformly across the whole site. Accordingly, none of the surveys or assessments held by the Trust conclude that the Southend Hospital site, as a whole, is at, end of asset or economic life.

2. Any strategic reviews, business cases, options appraisals, or redevelopment proposals that recommend closure, replacement, relocation, or major rebuild of Southend University Hospital primarily due to the age, condition, safety, or sustainability of the existing site.

Answer:

The Trust holds no strategic reviews, business cases, or options appraisals that recommend the closure, wholesale replacement, relocation, or major rebuild of Southend Hospital primarily on the grounds that the site is at the end of its life, not viable, or no longer fit for purpose.

3. Any risk assessments, safety reports, or risk register entries that identify the hospital estate as unsuitable or unsafe for continued long-term operation.

Answer:

The Trust maintains an estates risk register and undertakes routine statutory and regulatory safety assessments across the Southend Hospital site. These documents identify a number of significant risks associated with the age, condition, and design of parts of the estate. Several buildings and infrastructure systems are subject to age‑related deterioration, performance limitations, and compliance challenges that require ongoing mitigation, investment, or enhanced monitoring.

This is consistent with managing an estate that includes buildings dating back many decades and constructed to standards that pre‑date modern clinical, engineering, and regulatory requirements.

While some elements of the estate are assessed as being in poor condition or approaching the end of their operational life, these findings apply to individual buildings, building systems, or plant rather than the viability of the hospital site as a whole.

4. Any briefings, reports, presentations, or correspondence provided by the Trust to Members of Parliament, local councillors, or political parties which state or imply that Southend University Hospital is “at the end of its life” or use equivalent wording.

Answer:

The Trust does not hold any briefings or correspondence provided to MPs, councillors, or political parties that describe Southend Hospital as “at the end of its life” or use equivalent terminology.

5. If the Trust does not hold any documents that make such a conclusion, please confirm explicitly that no reports or assessments held by the Trust conclude that Southend University Hospital is at the end of its life.

   
   

Answer:

The Trust does not hold any reports, assessments, or other documents that conclude that Southend University Hospital is at the end of its life, no longer fit for purpose as a whole, or otherwise not viable for continued long‑term use

Appendix 2 - Local Plan Preferred Approach

https://localplan.southend.gov.uk/southend-new-local-plan-preferred-approach-options?utm_source=chatgpt.com#chapter-174