Simon Kirby’s “campaign” for a “new” hospital seems to be completely bogus (The Argus, January 7).

Back in 2010, as a local resident, I received an invitation to attend a meeting.

The invitation began, “As you are probably aware, we are currently planning a major redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital.”

Such plans undoubtedly take a year or two to prepare. Planning consent was granted.

So confident was the hospital of implementing its plans that, about two years ago, I understand it gave 12 months’ notice to a mobile phone company to remove its mast from the hospital roof (thereby causing chaos when it was removed, but that is another story).

So it seems the only thing holding up the start of the new hospital is Mr Kirby’s Government. Is his campaign in fact an apology for his Government’s delay?

M Barry, Bristol Gate, Brighton

Your article, “More political rows over hospital funding” prompts a number of questions about the modernisation of the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Why has the Tory/Lib Dem Government, which promised “no top down reorganisation of the NHS”, changed the organisation of the part of the NHS which deals with capital works in hospitals, adding to the delay?

Why has the Government’s new NHS body asked the local NHS trust to re-submit its bid for the money 19 times? Why has nothing happened in the two years since the council granted planning permission?

Why has Brighton’s Tory MP Simon Kirby not attended any of the monthly meetings about the hospital re-development, which I chair, since being elected?

Why has Mr Kirby asked no questions to the current and previous health secretaries about the hospital redevelopment in the Commons since being elected?

Why has he only now started to “campaign for a new hospital” when it finally looks like a decision is likely to be made, just 15 months before he tries to save his seat at the General Election?

Will the hospital, once redeveloped, be kept in the NHS with services free to patients at the point of use? Or will it be parcelled up and handed over to private healthcare companies once the taxpayer has footed the bill for the redevelopment work?

While Labour was in power, Brighton and Hove got a new children’s hospital, the new renal unit and the Millennium wing, the university teaching hospital facility in the Audrey Emerton Building, a refurbished A&E and more.

Under the Conservatives we are getting £30 million in cuts to local NHS services, red alerts in A&E and longer waits for patients.

Warren Morgan, leader of the Labour and Co-operative Group, Brighton and Hove City Council