Plans to cut weight and drink and drugs rehab services

But County Hall leaders say NHS bosses should consider where extra funding could be used to plug expected gaps.

Proposals to reduce healthy weight spending by £1.5m and substance misuse rehab work by £675,000, while using a £500,000 one-off sum to explore additional preventative services have been rubber-stamped.

Cllr Azhar Ali, for Nelson East, said: “The fact that we are cutting these services significantly, when so many benefit from their work, is a false economy.”

He told a cabinet meeting he had seen the positive impacts the Up and Active initiative has had, with leisure trusts, for people across East Lancashire.

Cllr Shaun Turner, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “All of this is about working smarter with the money that we have got.”

Remodelling will also take place of some of the authority’s smoking cessation services.

Under the plans, the healthy weight service would retain a £500,000 budget to promote health improvement schemes for targeted groups.