THE community hospital in St Austell and the health centre in Par are to benefit from a new solar energy scheme.

The government has announced that the hospital and the health centre will be receiving funding to install clean power upgrades, as part of Great British Energy’s solar for schools and hospitals programme.

The move will help the NHS to cut its energy bills at the two locations. Nationally, with nearly 200 NHS sites receiving funding, the programme will save almost £30-million a year on energy.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, commenting on the programme, said: “With lower bills for hospitals, better value for money and a cleaner, more efficient NHS, everybody wins. Every penny of these savings will be redirected straight back into frontline care and delivering an NHS that patients, staff and the whole country can be proud of again.”

Noah Law, the Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay, said: “I am absolutely delighted that St Austell Community Hospital and Par Health Centre will be receiving funding. This programme demonstrates a long-term plan for the NHS, cutting energy bills and allowing that money to instead be invested in frontline services and our community’s needs.”

Mr Law has also welcomed the news that Cornwall is to receive £8.3-million for 2026/27 through the new Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).

Launching in April, the CRF will replace the Household Support Fund and will ensure that residents facing financial hardship continue to have access to essential emergency support.

Mr Law said: “The Household Support Fund benefitted many of my constituents, and I’m delighted that the new Crisis and Resilience Fund will be more easily accessible, and that funding has been committed for the next three years. Families struggling with financial hardships will now have emergency support they can draw on with certainty, and one less thing to worry about.”