Councillors have been severely criticised for refusing to back a motion deploring the decision to downgrade services at Crawley Hospital.

The Labour members have been attacked by Crawley's prospective Conservative Parliamentary candidate Henry Smith who is furious at the snub.

The motion before West Sussex County Council was supported by county councillor Mr Smith, who represents West Green, Crawley, and by all the Conservative and Liberal Democrat members.

It also called for a new fully-equipped hospital for the Crawley area.

The motion also demanded the accident and emergency unit should not be removed from Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath.

Mr Smith told the meeting: "West Sussex faces a creeping and determined attempt to remove vital healthcare provisions from its citizens.

"Crawley has been seriously downgraded. Next on the Government's hit list is Haywards Heath and added to this are proposals to remove services from Chichester and Worthing.

"There is now the very real prospect that soon, throughout our entire county, there will be no A&E provision at all."

He said they were being directed by the Government to build tens of thousands of new houses in the countryside. He said there was an additional problem caused by the West Sussex population becoming increasingly elderly and yet vital health services have been removed.

"We have tried to tell the Government time and time again what a disaster this is for our county but regrettably we are being ignored.

"That is why this strategic authority must deplore the Government's approach."

Mr Smith said Labour members had shown their true colours by not deploring the Health Secretary's "disastrous" decision to downgrade the NHS in Crawley and across the country.

The move follows a by-election in Crawley in which the Crawley Hospital Campaign candidate Gary Commins was defeated but cut the Labour majority by more than half.

Campaigners fighting to stop services being moved to East Surrey Hospital at Redhill described the performance as "brilliant."