The chief officer of the Pembrokeshire Community Health Council (CHC) has welcomed an announcement on the future of CHCs in Wales.

Minister for health and social services, Edwina Hart, unveiled her plans last week, which include dissolving 17 of the existing 19 CHCs and creating six new CHCs — one in each of the local health board areas, supported by a single administrative team.

Each of the new councils will have local committees, the members of which will be full members of the council, and an executive committee to take decisions on the exercise of the CHCs’ function.

Ashley Warlow, chief officer of the Pembrokeshire CHC, said he was pleased the councils will be retained and welcomed the changes to the organisation.

Mr Warlow said: “The changes are quite close to the consultation response that was submitted earlier in the year by my council members.

“I am pleased that the CHCs are to be strengthened into a new three-county organisation that will be better equipped to deal with the Hywel Dda Health Board at a strategic level and yet with the proposed local committees, will still retain a local identity and be able to focus on local health issues in each of the three counties.”

Mrs Hart also announced the board of CHCs in Wales will remain, but on a smaller scale. An additional £164,000 will be made available this year to the CHCs to enable them to perform their functions, along with a future £195,000 to support and develop the advocacy service which the councils provide.

A further short consultation on these proposals will now take place and changes implemented from April 1st next year.