Hyndburn MP Graham Jones has taken the Accrington walk-in centre fight to parliament.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Jones challenged the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt over the possible closure.

He said: “The Secretary of State earlier quoted the suggestion that GP walk-in centres were in the wrong places, where there was little demand.

“Last year, 36,000 people used the under-threat Accrington Victoria hospital walk-in centre, and now there is deep anger with the Conservative party.

“Will he explain how 36,000 people going to overstretched Royal Blackburn hospital A&E will help the situation there?”

Mr Hunt replied: “Under the previous Government we had a top-down, ham-fisted policy of opening walk-in centres everywhere as a sticking plaster solution to the disasters with their GP contract.

“Sometimes they were valuable services, sometimes they were not.

“We are clearing up the mess, but sometimes, when those centres are useful and important for the public, we will keep them.”

Referring to Mr Jones' question in Parliament, deputy council leader Clare Pritchard told a full council meeting last week how Mr Hunt's response meant the service didn't need to close.

She said: “We can't make the case that the government don't want these centres. It's now about a government directive it's about personal choice.

“The CCG team need to take into account that the public of Hyndburn want this service, they need to take into account the views of the Council who are asking that we retain the service.

“They really need to listen.”