THE leader of Wirral Council has written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in protest at unannounced cuts which he says could see the borough lose nearly £2.4 million of public health funding.

Cllr Phil Davies says the cut will impact on many Wirral health services, including school nursing, NHS health checks and drugs and alcohol counselling.

He is now seeking an urgent meeting with voluntary organisations who provide health services in Wirral to assess the full impact on local people.

Cllr Davies said: "The decision to cut £2.4m from Wirral’s public health budget has been made without discussion or understanding of the consequences, and breaks promises made in the Conservative Party’s manifesto prior to the last election.

"In addition, most of our public health investments are already tied to long term contracts, which places us in an extremely difficult position.

"The majority of this funding is spent on NHS treatment services – the rest is spent with the voluntary sector who use the money to build resilience in our communities.

"Many of these organisations are already struggling with the effects of less money on public services.

"Far from helping us encourage better public health, treat conditions and prevent long-term illnesses that put a strain on our hospitals, we now have to come to terms with further economies that will affect the most vulnerable."