James Evans MS has warned that closing the Welshpool Air Ambulance base will put lives at risk across Powys and Mid Wales.

Speaking in a Senedd debate last week triggered by a public petition, Mr Evans, who is MS for Brecon and Radnorshire and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, described the decision as “dangerous, irresponsible and morally indefensible.”

He has called for the Welshpool and Caernarfon bases to be retained alongside a full independent public inquiry.

“Powys has become a health desert,” said Mr Evans.

“We have a county with no district general hospital, no A&E department, minor injury units are operating with limited hours, and ambulances are consistently dragged out of our communities to cover shortages elsewhere in Wales. As a direct result, people I know in my constituency, and across Mid Wales, have lost their lives. This has caused deep trauma for their families.”

Mr Evans also criticised the plan to replace air assets with Rapid Response Vehicles in Mid Wales, saying the promised mitigation measures are not yet in place.

“There are no final plans, no costings, no procurement, and no deployment timetables,” he told the Senedd.

He also highlighted specific risks for people living in remote areas.

“While we hear the talk of rounded proposals, including night-time capabilities in north Wales, none of that protects the farmers in my constituency, the walkers in the Elan Valley, or those drivers on the A470 who might have an accident,” said Mr Evans.

“That golden hour cannot be a privilege just for those people who live in urban areas.”

He said: “I am calling for the Welshpool and Caernarfon bases to be retained, and for a full independent public inquiry into the data, the governance failures and the persistent disregard for rural Wales. People pay into this service; they fundraise for it. They deserve better than to be abandoned.”

In October, Wales Air Ambulance was given the go-ahead to close its helicopter bases in Caernarfon and Welshpool, after the Court of Appeal refused a legal challenge from campaigners seeking to block the move.

The Save Welshpool and Caernarfon Air Ambulance Bases Group had lodged a fresh appeal this summer following an earlier High Court ruling in June, which upheld the Joint Commissioning Committee’s (JCC) decision to close the two bases and replace them with a new centre in North Wales. Lady Justice Andrews dismissed the appeal on October 15.

Campaigners argued the closures could slow emergency response times for up to 40 communities and questioned the evidence used to justify the changes.

Wales Air Ambulance says expert evidence shows the changes will allow them to save more lives, particularly in Mid and North Wales.

The charity highlighted that in 2023 and 2024 crews in the region were unable to attend 551 serious incidents between 8pm and 2am. They also noted that the Welshpool and Caernarfon bases were underused, with crews seeing no patients on 163 days in Welshpool and 199 days in Caernarfon over a two-year period.