INVERCLYDE’S health and social care authority is fighting back against funding cuts from Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Councillor Jim Clocherty is leading calls for over £250,000 worth of savings NOT to be passed down to the local Inverclyde joint integrated board, the organisation which is responsible for delivering services locally.

Health chiefs want Inverclyde to take a share of board-wide ‘undelivered savings’ rolled over from last year.

They are proposing the district should take a share of cuts ‘rolled over’ from 2015/16.

But members of the local integration joint board are furious at the suggestion and say this would mean a very damaging reduction in funding for health and social care in Inverclyde.

They have sent a letter to the chief executive expressing serious concerns about the proposed level of funding.

In the formal letter, the board said: “The considered view of the Inverclyde IJB was that the health board proposal represents a cash reduction and is not in keeping with the Scottish Government.”

The chair of the Inverclyde IJB argued that the government has made it clear that NHS contributions for local services should be maintained at 2016/17 levels.

Councillor Clocherty, who is also a member of the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, has spoken out against the cash cut.

Mr Clocherty said: “My job is to represent Inverclyde and I don’t think these savings should be passed on.”

The Tele reported earlier this year how health and social care services were facing total cuts of up to £1.6 million.

But the local joint board is hotly disputing a £256,000 portion of this total.

It’s understood that the joint board is now awaiting a response to its letter to the NHS supremos.