TEENAGERS cashed in when health bosses paid people to go to community meetings.

The `bored' youths each picked up £10 by joining people at a meeting about medical services in Wigan.

Altogether, 139 people were paid at three meetings about increasing the number of doctors in Leigh, Ince and Ashton - a total of £1,390.

Each one also received a goody bag of mugs, pens, T-shirts and health advice leaflets after each of the sessions.

Coun Sandy Franzen blasted the payment policy and said the money could have been better spent on patient care.

The Lowton East councillor said most of the people who attended the meeting at Leigh library were bored teenagers.

He said they spent the two-hour meeting sending text messages to each other and arranging to spend their cash on fast food when it was over.

"It was a great presentation," he said, "with professionals and councillors in the audience.

"There were a lot of young people there and I thought it was refreshing, but they did not ask any questions. They were looking at their watches and texting each other.

"I heard one say `I can't wait for it to finish to get my £10'. I heard young people saying `Let's go straight to McDonald's and spend it'. They certainly knew they were getting £10."

The meetings were called by Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust to consult communities about plans to boost medical cover in areas such as Leigh, Golborne, Ince and Platt Bridge, in a programme known as Fairness in Primary Care. The Trust said the payments were made `to cover out of pocket expenses, including travel, and as an acknowledgement of the time that they had given to the process'.

The meetings, and payments, were advertised by letter through the Wigan and Leigh Council for Voluntary Service, the Trust said. All those who attended, therefore, knew about the cash incentive. Coun Franzen said he tackled Trust chief executive Peter Rowe about the payments the following day - and claimed he was told that the policy was an `experiment' to boost numbers at meetings.

He said he was concerned the policy was being used to `boost numbers and tick boxes' over public consultation and added: "My concern is that this is a bribe."

The Trust confirmed 84 people attended the meeting in Leigh and 76 were paid. It said members of Wigan Youth Council were invited to attend - and the payment policy was `being kept under review'.

Mick Dolan, of Fairness in Primary Care, said: "We were pleased 14 teenagers from the Youth Council attended the session in Leigh. While this group asked only one question, they listened attentively."