EAST Lancashire MP Peter Pike has warned ministers not to take any steps to merge two community health councils into a single body.

He has told them that it is vital that they "remain local and do not become remote."

The Labour backbencher successfully fought off attempts by the previous Tory government to amalgamate the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale and Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley CHCs when the East Lancashire Health Authority was created.

Now the Burnley MP fears that the current government might be considering similar mergers of these "voices for patients" in the NHS as it shakes up the structure of health provision.

Mr Pike tackled community health minister Gisela Stuart on the issue in the Commons this week. She told him: "It is absolutely essential that representation and consultation always take place at local level. That is why we are strengthening the role of health authorities and considering closely ways of broadening the base of that representation, which may not always be through the community health councils.

"The councils play a vital statutory role and we are committed to widening their base, but always with a focus of local delivery and local imput to serve local patients."

Mr Pike said: "It is vital that CHCs remain locally based so that patients can get in touch with them and have a proper voice. Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale CHC has a good track record and I would strongly oppose any merger into either an East Lancashire one or a Lancashire wide body.

"I was putting down a marker to warn ministers against bringing forward such a merger."