FORMER Health Secretary Alan Milburn was jubilant last night after his plea to preserve the independence of Darlington's primary care trust (PCT) was heeded.

Darlington was among the survivors of a nationwide cull of the trusts announced yesterday by present Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt.

Darlington MP Mr Milburn, who dreamt up the idea of local NHS organisations able to commission NHS services for local people, said: "I am very pleased. This will be welcomed as good news in Darlington."

He said he wanted to thank ministers for listening to local people "who campaigned in large numbers to retain their PCT".

Mr Milburn, who recently gave regional health bosses more than 600 letters from constituents calling for the PCT to be retained and described the abolition plans as ill thought-out, said there was a strong desire in the town to run its own affairs.

"This decision should strengthen still further the working arrangements between the PCT and the borough council," he said.

Bill Dixon, Darlington Borough Council's deputy leader, said: "I am really pleased as a local councillor and a local resident.

"If you look at projects like the walk-in treatment centre and the new surgery we are building in Parkgate, you have to think that this could not have been done without us working so closely together as we have over the last few years."

Since a separate PCT for Darlington was set up five years ago, there had been a significant increase in the town's share of the regional NHS cake, said Coun Dixon.

There was also good news for campaigners on Teesside after Mrs Hewitt decided to back away from a single trust for the area.

Her announcement meant that separate primary care organisations in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland will be retained.

The decision was welcomed by Hartlepool MP Iain Wright, who said it was "fantastic news for the people of Hartlepool".

He said that since the PCT was introduced, the town had made great strides in areas such as smoking cessation and cutting teenage pregnancies.

"This was because the PCT was responsive to local needs," said Mr Wright.

But there was not such good news for NHS staff in other parts of the region, who are concerned about the impact of job losses.

The Government went ahead with plans to abolish the Durham Dales, Sedgefield, Derwentside, Easington, Durham and Chester-le-Street trusts and to set up a new, large county-wide PCT.

Further south, the expected abolition of all four North Yorkshire PCTs also went ahead.

It means that trusts in Hambleton and Richmondshire, Craven, Harrogate and Rural District, Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale and Selby and York will be merged to form a North Yorkshire and York PCT.

In a separate move the Government confirmed that two new ambulance services are to be set up in the region.

The existing North-East Ambulance Service, which covers County Durham, Tyneside and Wearside, will be extended to include all of Teesside.

A new ambulance trust covering the whole of Yorkshire and Humberside will take in North Yorkshire.