Thousands have signed a petition calling for a full public inquiry into the closure of Welshpool Air Ambulance base.
Nearly 4,500 people have signed a petition to the Welsh Senedd calling for a full public enquiry to be held into the decision making that led to the vote to close the Air Ambulance bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon in 2026.
Those signing the petition “demand a full public enquiry into the closure of Welsh Air Ambulance bases in mid and North Wales".
“Recent announcement by Welsh Air Ambulance to close two bases and centralise its operations leaves whole swathes of Mid and Northwest Wales with inferior coverage," the petition says.
They “believe the public need, and public opinion on the matter has not been listened to, and appeal to Welsh Government to intervene” and think “a full public enquiry should be launched.”
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The petition created by Karl Ciz has been shared widely online and has already gained thousands of signatures in just one week.
He added: “Many of us feel our rights to Air Ambulance coverage will be eroded, and especially those of us in the mid and Northwest of Wales where the distances to nearest Accident and Emergency facilities are often very distant.
“This is a lifeline for many of us and it must not be removed without a full public enquiry.”
This comes after the Welsh NHS’s Joint Commissioning Committee, made up lay people and the Chief executives of Welsh health boards voted to close the bases and merge them into a new site in North Wales – with Powys Teaching Health Board and Betsi Cadwalladr Health board being the only ones voting against the change.
The decision has led to a large amount of public anger with businesses in Powys pulling their support for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity and many individuals ending their direct debit payments.
Charity chiefs have said they have "never taken the support of the public in Powys for granted” and say the charity is trying to improve the service after a number of residents and local businesses ended their support.
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