Independent candidate Carl Peters-Bond says village “will not be ignored” as anger grows over plans affecting 4,350 patients
THE FIGHT to save Pontyates Surgery has erupted into a major political flashpoint ahead of the Senedd election, with independent candidate Carl Peters-Bond throwing his support behind residents battling to prevent the loss of GP services at Meddygfa’r Sarn.
Mr Peters-Bond, who is also Mayor of Kidwelly and says he is a patient at the surgery, visited the site with campaign organiser Clare Treharne and backed what he described as a community “pushed to breaking point” by Hywel Dda University Health Board’s proposals.
In a strongly-worded intervention, he warned that closing the surgery would be “a devastating blow” for Pontyates and surrounding villages.
The dispute centres on plans that could see patients at Meddygfa’r Sarn transferred to neighbouring practices in Pontyberem and Kidwelly, with some potentially being redirected to Llanelli.
Health board documents published in January recommended a “managed dispersal” of patients from June 30, 2026, describing it as the most sustainable long-term option. The board cited staffing pressures, a lack of permanently employed doctors, and limitations with the current building. The surgery currently serves around 4,350 patients.
But the proposals have sparked a furious backlash locally, with residents insisting the surgery is a vital lifeline — particularly for elderly patients, those without transport, and vulnerable people who would struggle to travel further for appointments.
Mr Peters-Bond said: “Pontyates Surgery is not just a building — it is a lifeline. For many residents, especially older people and those without transport, losing this surgery would mean losing access to basic healthcare. That is simply unacceptable.”
He added: “I’ve spoken to patients, campaigners and local councillors. The message is the same every time: people feel ignored, sidelined and worn down by a process that seems designed to reach a predetermined outcome. This community deserves better.”
The controversy has escalated in recent weeks, with campaigners organising public protests, forming a human chain around the surgery, and submitting formal complaints over the way the consultation has been conducted.
A Senedd petition calling for GP services to be protected at Meddygfa’r Sarn attracted 985 signatures before closing in early March. Carmarthenshire councillors have also raised serious concerns about the process.
Hywel Dda University Health Board voted on January 29 to pause any final decision and launch an eight-week engagement exercise with patients and the community. That consultation began on February 9 and runs until April 6, with the board due to reconsider the matter on May 28.
However, many campaigners say the consultation has failed to ease fears and believe it is being used to manage the fallout from closure rather than explore genuine alternatives.
Mr Peters-Bond said trust in the process had “collapsed” and called for the health board to reset its approach.
He said: “The strength of feeling here is extraordinary. People are organising, speaking up and standing together because they know what is at stake. I am proud to stand with them.”
He warned that shutting the surgery would place extra pressure on already stretched neighbouring practices, increase journey times, and create new barriers for rural patients seeking healthcare.
“Rural communities like Pontyates are always the first to lose services and the last to see investment. This pattern has to end,” he said. “Healthcare should be based on need, not postcode.”
Mr Peters-Bond is calling on the health board to halt the closure process, publish the evidence behind any proposed changes, engage meaningfully with residents, and commit to keeping GP provision in Pontyates.
He said: “People have lost trust in this process — and with good reason. The health board must reset its approach, listen to the community and guarantee that GP services will remain in Pontyates.”
The intervention is expected to raise the political temperature around the issue in the run-up to polling day on May 7, with healthcare already emerging as a key election battleground across west Wales.
For many in Pontyates, the future of Meddygfa’r Sarn is no longer just a local health issue — it has become a test of whether rural communities are being listened to at all.
Mr Peters-Bond said he would continue to support the campaign “every step of the way” and insisted the message from residents was clear.
“Pontyates has spoken with one voice: this surgery must stay open,” he said. “This community will not be ignored.”
