A health watchdog has been labelled ineffective and inactive barely months after being set up.

Brighton and Hove City Council set up a health overview and scrutiny panel earlier this year to look at health services.

It has the power to order investigations into any aspect of NHS work in the city under an Act of Parliament introduced two years ago.

But Conservative group leader Brian Oxley said: "This power has not been used to its full potential in Brighton and Hove due to a lack of forward planning, direction and leadership by the council.

"The first meeting of the panel was not until early November and the next one is not until the end of March.

"The city's community health council handed over a number of important matters for consideration by the council but no action has been taken.

"By contrast, West Sussex County Council will have had four meetings of its equivalent panel over the same period."

"Health scrutiny is a potentially powerful new opportunity to remove health inequalities in Brighton and Hove, which this council is rapidly squandering."

One example was a request by Conservatives for a full review of boundaries for family doctors' surgeries, which was rejected by the panel.

Councillor Oxley said this was an important issue as there were not enough doctors in the city.

Independent councillor Jayne Bennett, who chairs the panel, insisted good progress was being made.

The panel had plenty of experience, including three people who had been members of the community health council (CHC), before CHCs were abolished by the Government this year.

Labour councillor Les Hamilton, who heads the scrutiny process on the council, said it had taken time to assemble the panel but an informal meeting was held in September before the first formal meeting in November.

The next meeting in March was fixed on the first date convenient to all members and there would be four each year after that.

Extra meetings could be convened if necessary and there could be special panels set up to look at particular subjects.

Some of the issues handed over by the CHC could go to proposed patients' forums rather than the scrutiny panel.

Coun Hamilton said members were not convinced surgery boundaries warranted a full investigation.

He said: "The panel preferred to set up a working group to satisfy themselves all areas of the city are covered.

"I am confident in 2004 we will see the panel developing its role and meeting regularly."