PLANS to deprive the NHS in the borough of £10 million a year is being strongly opposed by Andy Burnham.

The Leigh MP called on the Government on Monday to scrap plans to transfer huge sums from England's more deprived communities to more affluent areas where life expectancy is longest.

NHS England will consider a proposal to change the way NHS funding is allocated at its board meeting on Tuesday, December 17.

The Shadow Health Secretary said: “It is nothing short of immoral to raid areas with the greatest health needs only to hand their money to places where life expectancy is already the longest.

"People in the areas most affected are already taking a battering from this out-of-touch Government and simply can't afford this change. Labour will stand up for them and oppose this outrageous raid. My message to David Cameron is simple: hands off Leigh's NHS funding.

"I am calling on NHS England to abandon this unfair and ill-conceived plan which could seriously destabilise NHS services."

Under the proposals, the weighting given to health inequality in NHS funding is removed in favour of communities with greater numbers of older people.

The NHS across the borough would lose £31 for every patient – totalling £10 million – whilst the Windsor area gains £16 million or £106 per head.

South Eastern Hampshire, where healthy life expectancy is 68 years for women, will see an increase of £164 per person but in Sunderland, where healthy life expectancy is 58 years for women, will see funding decrease by £146 per person.

Mr Burnham is leading Labour's national campaign against the changes.