Plans to close the Air Ambulance base in Welshpool were branded a “load of old tosh” in one of the final public meetings on its future.
The comments were made by Powys County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan who with other leading Powys politicians and members of the public made a spirited argument on why the base should remain in mid Wales at a meeting at Welshpool High School this evening (October 12).
The meeting saw the Chief Ambulance Service Commissioner, Stephen Harrhy field questions from the audience after the release of his team’s analysis on the future of the base.
READ MORE: What you need to know ahead of the final Wales Air Ambulance meetings in Powys
Questions came in from the public who called for the base to stay in the area. One member of the audience said if the results of the analysis were close why change it?
“If we were to lose it, it would be really negative for people’s emotional health," they said.
"If you have got people who are really passionate and so behind the air ambulance. If it was withdrawn from them, it’s going to create such negativity, loss, grief and anxiety.”
Another member of the public raised concerns about the lack of resources leaving residents in mid Wales exposed if the air ambulance was to move to a new site in north Wales.
“Patients in North Wales, they can go to Chester, Manchester or Stoke. They have the road network, we don’t here.”
OTHER NEWS:
- Powys arts venue Wyeside in 'big trouble' and could close
- 'Superb' Newtown Indian restaurant wins National Curry Award
- A493 road in Powys could close to allow work on Dyfi Bridge
Another, who experience working with statistics said he had concerns that there were too many unknown factors for the data to be considered reliable - “Modelling is a wonderful tool if it is used in the right sense but it does rely on a huge amount of data to make it realistic.”
Mr Harrhy was praised for his transparency by many in attendance and he reiterated that no decision had been made.
A united political front was shown with MP for Montgomeryshire, Craig Williams telling Mr Harrhy: “The points made here may be echoed by hundreds if not thousands as your report alluded to.”
Cllr Vaughan argued that the data clearly showed that the base staying where it is with extra vehicles was the most beneficial and branded the previous data that showed that results would be improved if the bases were moved as being “a load of old tosh”.
County Councillor for Welshpool Graham Breeze backed both of them making an impassioned plea to keep the base that gained a rousing round of applause from the audience.
“The evidence shows that large swathes of mid Wales and North Wales would be disadvantaged and that is plain to see if they read the detail,” said Councillor Breeze.
“You may think that we in Welshpool are being selfish in wanting to keep our base but we are concerned for the lives and safety for those living right across this wonderful country, not just this area.
“The lives of those in Powys, Gwynedd and Ceredigion matter just as much to us as those living on the A55 corridor.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here