Last week brought mixed news about healthcare in Montgomeryshire, writes Steve Witherden MP.

While Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) has decided to press ahead with its ‘temporary’ downgrading of Llanidloes Hospital despite fierce public opposition, the challenge to the closure of Welshpool’s Air Ambulance base will be heard by the High Court, meaning the decision could be overturned.

This comes on top of people in Mid Wales already struggling to access timely, local healthcare.

The big picture is that people in Montgomeryshire have always relied on services outside of the constituency, whether those are in Shrewsbury, Telford, Aberystwyth, Gobowen, or further afield.

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When those services are cut alongside ones inside the constituency, they have a disproportionate impact on a region that is already, in many ways, poorly connected.

On the issue of Llanidloes Hospital, I have submitted a collective response to PTHB requesting the proposals are dropped. I will be speaking with stakeholders about next steps and aim to meet with Welsh Government to discuss healthcare provision across Mid Wales.

Regarding the Air Ambulance base, while we must now await judgment from the High Court, the judicial review will be an opportunity to look again at the decision-making process.

Having been elected as an Officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Air Ambulances, I will continue to work with those opposed to the closure.

I appreciate that many of the issues that matter most to constituents, healthcare foremost among them, are devolved. I still think, however, that any elected representative has the duty to amplify the voices of residents regardless.

I am pleased to share I was recently elected to the Welsh Affairs Committee, one of a minority of Welsh Labour MPs, which scrutinises the Welsh Office and relations with the Senedd.

I am hoping to use this platform to raise attention to our reliance on public services that are fewer and further between than in many other parts of the country and highlight the importance of cross-border decision-making.

The decline in rural public services is a major concern to me and while I understand that all levels of government will be dealing with a poor fiscal inheritance for some time, living in a rural area should not preclude you from access to timely care.

As always, you can contact me at steve.witherden.mp@parliament.uk to discuss these issues