Bedford borough councillors pressed for reassurance of a long-delayed GP surgery in Wixams after the council approved £5.5 million in funding, subject to NHS commitments.
At last night’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Monday), it was noted that Wixams currently doesn’t have a primary care facility, so residents travel elsewhere for GP services.
It heard that the council’s Executive in December approved funding for a “new purpose-built GP practice in Wixams”, subject to further conditions.
These included updated costings, a formal commitment from the Integrated Care Board (ICB), and an Agreement for Lease with GP providers.
Ward cllr Graeme Coombes (Conservative) said residents wanted reassurance about delivery timescales, describing local concern that the project had been “very long delayed”.
Cllr Coombes asked the portfolio holder how positive he was about the plans moving forward.
2026 planning application
“I read very positively in terms of the report,” he said, “I want to be sure as I can be that my constituents are going to get this delivered 100 per cent as it looks.
“But how positive are you that this is actually going to happen?” he asked.
The portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and communities: health and wellbeing, cllr Martin Towler (Conservative, Riseley), said: “We had a lovely meeting a couple of weeks ago now with Urban and Civic [the developers].
“They showed us the new site, and they’re very keen on driving it forward.
“We have the finance organised, they will be doing a business case, a projection on the costs at the end of this month, and then a consultation will follow.
“We will go for planning permission maybe later this year, and then we hope to put a spade in the ground early in 2027.”
Cllr Coombes said following the allocation of the £5.5 million by the Executive in December, the local media wrote “a little bit of a doom-laden story” claiming the project still “hangs in the balance”.
He asked cllr Towler to confirm that the project is “much more positive than it has been for some time”.
Cllr Towler replied: “I can confirm we’re going forward fast on this one. Wixams definitely needs [a GP surgery], it’s a high priority in the ICB, it’s a high priority for this council.
“So yes, it’s definitely going ahead, and with the keenness of Urban and Civic to help drive it, I think it’s a winner.”
“Long way to go”
However, other members cautioned that the project still had further stages to complete, including securing formal ICB commitment and lease agreements.
Cllr Doug McMurdo (Independent, Sharnbrook) said that “there’s still a long way to go to get this over the line”.
Cllr Dean Crofts (Lib Dem, Kingsbrook) said: “It is about being honest with residents about when [surgeries] are going to be delivered, because we want them delivered now.
“But we don’t want residents to think they’re going to be built now when they’re five years away. It’s about being honest with the public about how long this takes, what the barriers are.
“Most of the barriers are not created by us as the council anyway, and we’re trying to resolve [them]. There are so many balloons up in the air.
“I think that can justify the headline in the [media] that cllr Coombes referred to earlier about all the hurdles and barriers that this council is still facing in delivering this project.”
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
