Health secretary Frank Dobson has been urged to review a controversial shake-up of health services in Ilkley, Guiseley and Otley.

Conservative councillors in Ilkley have attacked a decision by Leeds Health Authority to block the formation from April of a new Wharfedale primary care group of GPs and community nurses.

GPs in the area, Bradford Health Authority and officials at Leeds Health Authority backed the formation of the group but it was dropped in favour of a group stretching from Otley to the centre of Leeds.

Ilkley GPs have now been forced to join a primary care group covering Keighley, Silsden, Bingley and Haworth which they claim is not a natural community.

Now in a letter to Mr Dobson, Ilkley councillors Anne Hawksworth, Colin Powell and Martin Smith have called for a rethink accusing Leeds Health Authority of taking a high-handed attitude on the issue.

"We are told the decision was made in the best interests of the residents of Leeds. On our part we are interested in the best interests of the residents of Wharfedale.

"There have been strong links for many years between the doctors in the valley.

"This has been a natural and long-standing informal grouping which will now be disbanded.

"The views of the local population and medical staff in Wharfedale have been ignored."

Labour MP for Pudsey Paul Truswell, who has also backed the formation of a Wharfedale group and raised the issue with ministers, regional health chiefs and health authority bosses, accused the councillors of political opportunism, claiming they had failed to lobby Leeds Health Authority when members had twice discussed the issue.

He said he was still discussing the issue with ministers but the procedure for creating the new primary care groups was well under way.

"There were very powerful arguments in favour of the health authority's ideas but I believed the local GPs' proposals were even stronger."

A Leeds Health Authority spokesman denied the organisation had been high-handed.

He said a widespread and detailed consultation had been carried out involving a range of health organisations and further submissions had been taken into account when the authority was asked to reconsider the original decision.

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