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Leader of North Somerset Council, Cllr Mike Bell, and Mayor of the West of England, Helen Godwin, have jointly welcomed today’s announcements – which are worth tens of millions of pounds for local education and NHS facilities.
Cllr Mike Bell, the Leader of North Somerset Council, said:
“I am delighted that so many North Somerset schools and health services will benefit from investment from the UK government in this package. So much basic infrastructure has been neglected over the years and our children and young people and those accessing healthcare deserve better.
“Six of our primary schools and Weston General Hospital will be in better shape following this programme and we will keep making the case to government, with our partners, for action to go further and faster.”
Helen Godwin, the new Mayor of the West of England, said:
“I promised to work with the government to invest in the West, after fourteen long years of under-funding. The tide has turned and, in this new chapter for the West of England, our region is now securing record investment from Westminster.
“£30 million of new investment across our wider area is brilliant news for local patients and NHS workers, for pupils, parents, and teachers. From Bath to Southmead, Cotham to Brislington, tens of millions of pounds of new funding will start to make a real difference for our local schools and hospitals to address pressing repairs.”#
Hospitals and schools to benefit in the West include:
- North Somerset – Banwell Primary School, Mead Vale Community Primary School, Mendip Green Primary School, Milton Park Primary School, St Francis Catholic Primary School, and Windwhistle Primary School: up to £5.37 million
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust – including Hillview Lodge (Royal United Hospital) and Southmead Hospital: £2.436 million
- Bristol – Cotham School and West Town Lane Academy: over £500,000
- North Bristol NHS Trust – including Southmead Hospital: £4.088 million
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust – Royal United Hospital: £5.056 million
- University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust – Bristol Campus Hospitals and Weston General Hospital: £15.970 million
The Estates Safety Fund from the Department of Health and Social Care is investing £750 million in estates safety in 2025/26, committed in the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget last year, following the independent investigation by Lord Darzi which found historic capital underinvestment in NHS buildings across the country.
The Condition Improvement Funding from the Department for Education will deliver £470 million across the country for projects like fixing crumbling roofs and removing dangerous asbestos. This is part of a £2.1 billion investment in the school estate in 2025/26 – almost £300 million more than the previous year.