The motion from Lib Dem councillors calls for urgent action from the Government to prevent the devastating cuts proposed for Arthur Rank Hospice. The hospice faces the closure of nine of its 23 beds, a 40% reduction in inpatient capacity, due to an £829,000 annual funding shortfall. This will leave more than 200 patients a year without access to specialist hospice care.
This crisis is not happening in isolation. Cambridgeshire’s health services are already under immense strain, with record-breaking A&E waits, discharge blockages, and patients receiving “corridor care.” Meanwhile, Cambridgeshire remains one of the lowest-funded areas for primary care in England, thanks to a funding freeze since 2017 and a formula that ignores rurality, hidden deprivation, and rapid population growth.
Cllr James Rixon (Lib Dem, Histon and Impington ward), who has proposed the motion, said: "The Government talks about moving care into the community, yet its actions tell a different story. Cutting hospice beds while hospitals are overflowing is a betrayal of patients and families. Cambridgeshire deserves better than chronic underfunding and broken promises."
The motion would formally throw the Council’s support behind the campaign launched by local Liberal Democrat MPs, Pippa Heylings, Ian Sollom and Charlotte Cane, to restore funding and keep all 23 beds open. The MPs have gathered over 16,000 signatures to a petition as part of their campaign.
Cllr Sally Ann Hart (Lib Dem, Melbourn ward) added: "This is about fairness. Arthur Rank Hospice has for so many people made what is likely to be one of the most difficult parts of their life easier. It is a helping hand not just for patients but for family members and loved ones. Greater Cambridge is growing fast, yet our health services are being chronically under-resourced. The Government must stop ignoring high-growth areas like ours and start delivering the funding and infrastructure we need."
The debate will take place at the next full council meeting of South Cambridgeshire District Council on 04 December 2025.
