Anabelle, this is total crap from your GP. Don't accept it. You should be on daily local estrogen if you need it. It's incredibly safe. I needed it from 42. (Well, now I don't need it at all because I"m on systemic HRT and have plenty from that - but when I was on a tiny starvation dose of HRT I did need the local E as well.)
It's worth listening to the podcasts and YouTube vids made by Dr Felice Gersh by the way. She says that if you need local E, your systemic E is not high enough. If you have enough systemic E to get everywhere it needs, it should treat the vag as well. And the problem is the tiny systemic doses in modern HRT because most doctors are terrified of estrogen.
But that's a slightly different subject for you right now.
I highly recommend going private to the Newson Clinic and getting them to write a letter back to your GP, telling your GP to prescribe local E daily. Your GP doesn't have to take that advice but mine has with my HRT protocol, which is very high dosage. Try to find a better GP who will work with you, though. Because even if you go private it helps to have an NHS GP who will continue that private prescription on the NHS. If you have a GP as you describe, you will come up against obstacles over and over again.
