Also if you get a private room in a public hospital can the husband sleep there as well?
It depends on the individual hospital policy. Some places will allow your husband to stay others won't. This can be difficult information to find out without asking directly what the policy is as its not always advertised. Same for private rooms. There is also the danger that there won't be a room available even if you have asked for one, as they will be given to women with a clinical need ahead of those who are simply paying.
I think this thread is unfair on some NHS hospitals tbh. My experience wasn't grim. I did have a medical need for a private room, but my DH was allowed to stay. The hospital (which is in another part of the country) had a new policy of allowing fathers to stay.
Also you are NOT 'allocated' to a hospital. You are free to choose any maternity hospital you wish in the UK, though they can try and persuade you to take the most local option and it can be a little more complex in going somewhere which you are 'out of area' for. The only cavet is they can turn you away if they are oversubscribed for patients. I went to a hospital which was not the one for the local Trust, without too many issues though. You would see a more local midwife for most of your ante-natal care if you went with the NHS, and then go to the hospital for scans, some blood test and any additional care you needed if you had a more complex pregnancy. (You can also do this if you go private too)
Some hospitals are over subscribed - particularly in London. This does include the private hospitals too though so don't leave it too late in booking in, if you are considering going down this route.
The same goes for VBACs after two previous sections. Different hospitals will have different policies. As a rule after two sections though, you are unlikely to face too much opposition to having an ELCS (it can be more difficult than it should be if you've only had one section though) but equally you will probably be supported if you did want a VBAC.
Unfortunately, I think the worst this is the real lack of transparency in the UK. You have to ask questions rather than be given information. And I am slightly dubious about just how valuable word of mouth is, because my experience was that you frequently will get different answers from other women rather than directly from the hospitals themselves.