Barrow and Furness Conservative MP candidate Simon Fell has welcomed news that the region is to get a government funding boost to build a new hospital.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock unveiled at the Party conference in Manchester that 40 new hospitals will be built across England over the next decade.

As reported in the Mail, six of the new builds have been given the full go-ahead, with a further 21 new build projects (consisting of 34 new hospitals in total) to get seed funding to kick start their schemes.

Two new hospitals could be built within the Morecambe Bay hospital trust - with brand-new hospitals to be constructed in Barrow and Lancaster.

Welcoming the announcement Simon, who gave a speech to delegates at the conference and who has pledged to fight for properly funded services in the constituency, said: “I am delighted by this news.

“Once again this shows that the Conservative government is backing not just our NHS but Barrow. This plan will give UMBHT the ability to plan for future demand and ensure that as our community grows our local NHS has the capacity it needs. We couldn’t have a better result.”