Havant Borough Council wants an explanation over the decision to axe the town's long-awaited Oak Park Community Hospital.

The hospital – aimed at reducing the load on the new super hospital at Queen Alexandra, in Cosham, had already been given planning permission but the NHS announced last year that it wasn't pressing ahead with it.

It said there was no money to maintain the building if it was built.

Now councillors want Inger Hebden, director of capital planning at NHS Hampshire, to explain what went wrong.

Councillor David Keast, chairman of the environmental and community board, said: "We want answers.

"We want to know how it all went wrong and why they did not know months before that they would not be able to afford it."

NHS Hampshire is now looking for alternative sites for services such as diagnostics, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, which patients from Hayling use.

Once they're found, the board will officially agree to shelve the Oak Park Hospital plans. Mrs Hebden was set to report back to the board as the Islander went to press.

In-patient services for elderly mental health patients are also being reviewed but answers are not expected on that until later in the year.

Cllr Keast said: "We were not happy with the plan to pull the plug on the hospital and now it looks like Mrs Hebden is playing musical chairs with the health services in Havant, trying to find somewhere to put them, instead of putting them all under one roof at Oak Park."

NHS Hampshire will also be grilled on other problems in Havant's health services.

Cllr Keast added: "Phlebotomy is a shambles. We were promised the situation would improve when in fact the opposite has happened."

Mrs Hebden has said it was not until the economic downturn that the annual £3.6million maintenance cost of the hospital became unaffordable.

In a statement NHS Hampshire said Mrs Hebden would update the scrutiny board on the review of health services across Havant.

The NHS Hampshire board was due to hold a public meeting at Waterlooville Community Centre, on January 28.