BURY will receive a multi-million pound cash boost for its health services in the next four years, the government has said.

Health secretary Matt Hancock made the pledge during a visit to a walk-in centre in Bury town centre which is feared to be under threat of closure.

He promised that Bury clinical commissioning group (CCG) would receive more than £90.4m in additional funding by 2023-24 – a cumulative cash growth of 25.7 per cent.

Mr Hancock met local health bosses at Moorgate Primary Care Centre yesterday after he was invited to the town by Conservative group leader James Daly.

He said: “I’m here because James asked me to come to see the services that are provided and to talk to the local leadership about putting extra services into Bury and I want to see services expanding here so that everybody can have access to the NHS that they need.”

Cllr Daly said he was glad that the health secretary accepted his invitation to Bury and described the meeting as "very positive".

He said: “I’m delighted the Secretary of State accepted my invitation to come to speak to local managers, clinicians and leaders of local health services within Bury.

"The government are putting record funding into services within our town and the urgent care review that’s happening at the moment in our town is really, really important for the future of the integration of social care and medical services and to ensure that all our residents get the best possible services, clinical and medical, going forward."

The visit from the health secretary comes as Bury CCG looks to make £12.5m of cuts by next year in order to balance the budget.

The local health commissioner is currently reviewing its provision of services across the borough to close the financial gap.

A review of urgent care services with a savings target of £1m is currently underway sparking fears about the future of walk-in centres in Bury town centre and Prestwich.

Cllr Daly added: “The department of health is one of the stakeholders so it’s very important that they are part of the decision. I think it’s important that local clinicians speak to secretaries of state themselves. He was very positive about the vision the council had and the steps that the council and CCG were taking."

It is understood that Bury North MP James Frith was not invited to meet the health secretary at Moorgate Primary Care Centre yesterday.

He has written to Mr Hancock asking for the government to help plug the £12.5m "black hole" in the CCG's finances.

The Labour MP campaigned to keep the walk-in centre which Mr Hancock visited open after it was earmarked for closure in 2017.

He said: "The people of Bury spoke loudly and in full support of keeping a walk-in facility and both Labour councillors and I intend to keep this facility in our town, despite the very challenging financial situation our CCG finds itself in.

"If your visit marks a change in fortune for Bury's historic underfunding perhaps you'll start by plugging the £12.5m black hole in CCG's finances and committing to a multi-million pound investment in Fairfield Hospital."