Hyndburn MP Sarah Smith has called at Westminster for a meeting with health ministers to discuss the future of community provision in her constituency following the announcement of the closure of Accrington Victoria Hospital.

The Labour backbencher blamed the neglect of NHS buildings by the previous Conservative government for the controversial decision last month.

Speaking in the House of Commons Budget debate Mrs Smith said: "Currently in my constituency, we are facing entrenched problems due to a lack of investment in our public services.

"Most obviously, we face the closure of our highly-valued Accrington Victoria hospital due to the fact the building is now entirely unsafe for both patients and staff.

"Neglecting public services leads to real consequences, and my constituents have been left to pay the price for the Conservatives’ dereliction of their duty to manage health services sustainably.

"I therefore particularly welcome the Government’s announcement of a £1 billion investment to reduce the backlog of critical NHS maintenance.

"If that money had been available previously, and if maintaining NHS facilities at a local level had been a priority for the former Government, we might not have ended up in this unforgivable situation.

"Is the minister able to share any further information on that funding, and will he or a member of the health team meet me to discuss how we can work to ensure that Accrington’s health services are both retained locally and aligned with this Government’s national strategy for community-based provision?

"It is important to highlight that investing money in our valuable public services is also about securing growth in the long term.

"Enabling a worker to get a quicker GP appointment so that they can return to work sooner, or supporting a parent who wants to take a job that starts an hour earlier by giving them access to a breakfast club before school, supports growth.

"Investment in people and public services has real economic payback, as well as being the right thing to do."