LEADING councillors will tonight call on the area's health bosses to take urgent action to solve Pendle's dental crisis.
Five elected members from across the borough have signed a motion asking for an urgent meeting with Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust to discuss the lack of NHS dentists in Pendle.
The move follows the decision of Barnoldswick NHS dentist Adam Evans to go private, despite being given a £30,000 grant by the Government three years ago for his Diamond Smiles practice to remain open to all.
His decision will leave thousands of people without dental care and sparked an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons from Pendle MP Gordon Prentice and Hyndburn MP Greg Pope. They called for the money to be repaid and for the Government to help set up a new dental surgery.
Councillors Sonia Robinson (Nelson), Frank Wren (Brierfield), Sharon Davies (Colne), Marlene Hill-Crane (Barnoldswick) and David Whipp (Barnoldswick) have signed the motion which states: "This council expresses grave concern at the continued inadequacy of NHS dental provision in Pendle and the failure of Government policies and actions to address this issue."
Coun Robinson said: "It seems that as more efforts are made to get new NHS dentists, the situation does not improve because dentists are leaving the NHS at the other end of the pipeline."
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