A war of words has broken out within Powys County Council after the Liberal Democrats abstained on regarding the future of Welshpool's air ambulance base.

Powys Liberal Democrats defended their decision to abstain from a vote last week regarding the future of the base, saying they were not acting against the community campaign to save it.

It comes after Plaid Cymru group leader Elwyn Vaughan shared the results of the vote on social media which showed the names of councillors who abstained from the vote.

He also drew attention to a previous quote by leader of Liberal Democrats in Wales, Jane Dodds MS, that said the service should “remain in place at all costs”.

In response, the Liberal Democrats have criticised Cllr Vaughan accusing him of creating a cross-party campaign that is party political and misrepresenting their views.

They say their abstention was due to a wish to postpone the vote and debate until the formal consultation document and detailed report on the proposed closure of the base have been published.

“The vote on Thursday was like being asked to decide a planning application before the paperwork has been submitted,” said Councillor Pete Roberts.

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“It is a matter of public record that a number of our councillors and our Senedd Member Jane Dodds are supportive of the station staying in Welshpool unless an extremely strong case is made that moving it would directly save more lives in Powys.

"As of yet, we have not been provided with any independently verifiable evidence to suggest this is the case."

But Cllr Vaughan said the motion was clear.

He commented: "The motion was clear in calling for the retention of the service in Mid Wales. It has been acknowledged that there are parts of Mid Wales which will have a slower response if the base is moved to Rhuddlan (in Denbighshire), it's also known that the rapid response vehicles are also based at Rhuddlan and won't be able to assist our residents, hence yet again rural communities will lose out and I believe that's worth fighting.

“Now if the Lib Dems prefer to abstain rather than stand up for our communities on the pretence of waiting for more information which we already know anyway, that merely shows contempt towards our communities and residents are fully in their right to be angry with them."

Cllr Roberts disagreed, saying: “It is normal procedure to expect councillors to vote with all the information they need at hand, which would have been the case had the vote been postponed until November as our group suggested.”

“As councillors, we all are acutely aware of the challenges a rural county like Powys faces with healthcare access, particularly given the county’s poor road links, sparsely populated nature and winter weather.

"I think every single councillor and political party stands united in making sure we fight for the best service possible. The most important thing is making sure lives are saved.”