A decision on the future of Wales Air Ambulances bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon will be pushed back after calls were backed for a full public consultation on the controversial changes.

Llais, a Wales-wide statutory body formed from community health councils and other groups last year, have stepped to force another public consultation on the plans.

Plans hatched last year to replace Wales Air Ambulance bases in Powys and Gwynedd with a single new home in Denbighshire came under fire from politicians and residents.

A decision and final recommendation due to be taken following a series of consultations at the meeting of the Emergency Ambulance Services Committee for Wales on 21 December.

In a letter to stakeholders, Chief Ambulance Services Commissioner for Wales Stephen Harrhy said that Llais’ recommendation of a formal public consultation will now be presented to the meeting instead of the “preferred option initially planned”.

“I have received a letter from Alyson Thomas, chief executive of Llais about the next steps of the EMRTS Service Review,” he said.

“Llais is the independent statutory body, set up by the Welsh Government to give the people of Wales much more say in the planning and delivery of their health and social care services – locally, regionally and nationally.

“The letter from Llais follows recent informal conversations I have had with their chief executive and has now formally recommended that this review is taken to a formal public consultation.”

Glantwymyn councillor and Powys County Council’s Plaid Cymru leader, Cllr Elwyn Vaughan, responding to the news asked where Llais “have been until now”.

“It’s blatantly obvious that Welshpool and Caernarfon bases should stay open and locate an extra RRV in the north-east to assist those communities,” he said.

“The whole process is dragging on - we just need a clear concise common sense decision.”

Wales currently has four air ambulance bases – in Welshpool, Caernarfon, Llanelli and Cardiff – but a suggested reorganisation would see the bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon replaced by a former North Wales Police helicopter base in Rhuddlan.

Wales Air Ambulance said the potential closure of the bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon would allow the services to be consolidated in a new “central north-Wales location close to the A55 (Denbighshire or Conwy)”.­

The charity said that modelling showed the changes would allow it to potentially attend 583 more missions a year and go from meeting 72 per cent of demand to 88 per cent of demand.­