The “appalling” delay in moving services from Mount Vernon Cancer Centre to Watford has been flagged at a county council meeting.

Proposals to relocate it to a new site adjoining Watford General Hospital were drawn-up after an urgent 2019 review, which concluded the MVCC was "dilapidated and not fit for purpose".

It also said the site - built as a TB hospital in 1904 - needed to move to a new centre on an acute hospital site.

Earlier this year it emerged there were plans for a public consultation, and on Tuesday the county council's health scrutiny committee agreed to establish a new overview committee that would run alongside the NHS consultation.

But at that meeting, Conservative councillor Richard Thake highlighted the five and a half years that had already passed since the “urgent” review, while stressing progress had to accelerate as the site was "falling to bits".

“Five-and-a-half years on we’re setting-up a joint overview and scrutiny committee,” he said. “I mean, frankly it’s appalling.

“It is very clear in this report – and in previous reports we have had – that there are great shortcomings, despite the incredible work they are doing. This is not a criticism of Mount Vernon – but the place is falling to bits."

He continued: “It hasn’t got the capacity to add the care, the additional care, that is required to make a comprehensive cancer thing.

“This frankly has got to be accelerated. And I wish the joint committee every success going forward. But frankly, five-and-a-half years on from an urgent review is appalling.”

Agreeing with Cllr Thake, Liberal Democrat councillor Chris White said this was “a symptom of how we do public assets in the UK”, rather than of Mount Vernon in particular.

He added there was a “great keenness” amongst councils and councillors – “shared utterly by the NHS” – to “get a move on”.

“In terms of Mount Vernon as it currently stands, it’s a curious beast actually, because it’s a mixture of falling-to-bits and unbelievable hi-tech,” he said.

As well as four members from Hertfordshire County Council, the new joint health overview and scrutiny committee would include representatives from 10 councils whose residents use services at Mount Vernon.

They are the London boroughs of Hillingdon and Harrow, Buckinghamshire, Brent, Ealing, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Slough.

The committee will be asked to hold four meetings addressing different topics relating to the consultation.