TWO "crunch" meetings are to be held to allow community leaders to voice their fears about levels of services in their part of rural North Yorkshire.

Ryedale District Council members are to meet bosses from the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Healthcare NHS Trust and the Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust to talk about the future of Malton Hospital - and how local residents' views will be represented when community health councils (CHCs) are phased out.

Also tomorrow they will meet members of North Yorkshire Police Authority in the wake of the 76 per cent rise in the authority's precept.

Ryedale councillor John Raper said he believed a meeting with health bosses was "crucial".

Coun Raper, who represents Ryedale on the local CHC, said he had called for a meeting between the district council and the NHS Trust and the PCT "for them to explain to us where they are going and where they see themselves going".

He expressed fears over what would happen if people had complaints or concerns over health care provision when the Government abolished CHCs at the end of September.

"We have a black hole of time appearing shortly which will last at least six months," he said.

"This time gap has only just become apparent because the body that is going to take over from the CHC has not yet been formed."

Derek Bartrop, head of patient and public involvement at the PCT, said: "In this area we are very interested in working with the CHC to ensure that we do make provision for patients.

"The CHC had a responsibility - and will have until September 1 - of scrutinising the provision of health services and that scrutinising responsibility has been taken over by the local authority."

Mr Bartrop said the watchdog function would continue through new patient forums.

Meanwhile, senior district councillors will meet police authority members tomorrow.

Coun Pam Anderson said: "We want to know where our money is going and also that it is being spent wisely as well."

Updated: 10:51 Monday, March 10, 2003