Machynlleth residents are being urged to join the local Member of Parliament and Member of the Senedd in attending a public meeting over controversial proposals which could see all inpatient beds removed from the town’s community hospital.

The meeting will be held at Y Plas in Machynlleth at 6pm on 8 October, amid growing concern over the future of services at Bro Ddyfi Community Hospital.

Organisers say they received a “huge response” while speaking with residents at Machynlleth market, earlier this month, regarding the proposals.

The plans, which are due to go out to public consultation next week, would see inpatient beds concentrated at fewer community hospitals across Powys. Patients from Machynlleth and Llanidloes who require inpatient care would instead access services in Newtown. Under the proposed provisions, the hospital’s x-ray facilities would also be set to transition to Newtown. These proposals are despite the hospital having one of the highest bed occupancy rates in the country, at 98% during 2025 - the bed occupancy rates are “only part of a more complex picture” says the board.

The Powys Teaching Health Board has agreed upon a formal consultation with the wider Better Together programme from 5 October until 10 January. The board says no final decisions have been made, and can be expected in spring 2027.

The organised public meeting on 8 October is set to be attended by Steve Witherden MP and Elwyn Vaughan MS, Keith Jackson, one of the organisers hopes the community’s concerns will be taken onboard; concerns which will be put to Powys Teaching Health Board in a signed letter, offering an alternative to their current proposal.

Residents are being encouraged to attend, ask questions and share their experiences of healthcare services.

“This meeting is really about saying what we, the community, want.”