A MEETING between council leaders and health chiefs to discuss funding for new surgeries in and around Malvern has been described as constructive.

Tom Wells, the leader of Malvern Hills District Council, met with Charles Goody and Mike Marchment, chairman and chief executive of the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority on Tuesday (April 14).

The meeting was at the SHA headquarters in Redditch and also present were leaders of Wychavon district and Worcester city councils.

Coun Wells said it had been a constructive meeting and further discussion was planned between chief executives of the region's eight primary care trusts to allocate an available £2.9m funding.

If all the proposed surgeries in the region are funded it would cost £6.2 million, £3.7 million of which falls in South Worcestershire.

"There are more in South Worcester-shire than the rest of the region put together," said Coun Wells.

"These schemes involve the majority of the patients in South Worcestershire. Two-thirds are directly affected by these proposals."

He said he was pressing for a meeting with health minister John Hutton to secure more funding for the area and would also be writing to Mr Marchment for an assurance that the Malvern Community Hospital project was financially safe.