A Barnoldswick councillor has hit out at the provision of health services in the town.

Speaking at a meeting of the West Craven Area Committee, Coun Ken Hartley (Lib Dem) was critical of the withdrawal of services from Butts Clinic and the lack of a wound dressing treatment room.

He claimed that services were being taken away at Butts Clinic “brick by brick and person by person”.

“They used to provide things like podiatry and community health nurses,” said Coun Hartley. “They never declare they’re closing it down, they’re just withdrawing services bit by bit.”

He was also upset that a wound dressing room could not be provided in Barnoldswick, either at the Medical Centre or Butts Clinic.

“Barnoldswick Medical Centre is absolutely packed to the gills and cannot provide wound dressing because they don’t have the physical space to do it,” said Coun Hartley. “And we were told that Butts Clinic is not fit for purpose to provide a room, even though they have the physical space. They don’t seem to want to spend any money on it.”

Coun Hartley said although the Butts Clinic was housed in a wartime pre-fabricated building, it could still provide services.

“We should retain what is a very valuable space in Barnoldswick,” he said. “The prospect of patients recently discharged from hospital having to travel to Colne for wound dressing is worrying to me.”

The committee resolved to request a meeting with the NHS East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group to discuss its concerns and to ask that plans for Butts Clinic be published.

A CCG spokesman said: “There has been no change to dressing services at either Barnoldswick or Colne. Treatment room services have not been provided at the Butts Clinic in Barnoldswick for a number of years.

“There are 12 treatment rooms located across East Lancashire; the nearest one to Barnoldswick is in Colne Health Centre.

“Appointments can be made directly with the health centre reception at any of the 12 health centres via telephone or face to face; patients can attend any of the centres.

“Further details about treatment room services can be found on East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust website elht.nhs.uk/departments-wards-and-services/treatment-rooms.htm.