A senior county councillor says she will not back campaigners in Cornwall who are fighting to keep their minor injuries units (MIU) open at night. Four thousand people in Bude and Stratton have signed a petition against the proposed closures.
They say their next nearest hospital is in Devon and it could risk lives.
But Sally Bain, chairman of the county council's Health Scrutiny Committee, said it was not worth the expense.
She said: "There are so few people attend MIUs overnight - in some cases none at all - and to keep a unit open at night is not really cost-effective."
Consultation began in October on the future of the MIUs at Launceston, Liskeard, Bodmin, Stratton and Saltash.
North and East Cornwall Primary Care Trust wants to close the units between 2200 and 0800.
It says low usage of the overnight service means that resources could be better spent elsewhere.
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