Sir, SWAT (Save Withybush Action Team) visited the Welsh Assembly on Wednesday, November 30. I was part of this team and I will also report back to Neyland Town Council. It was a very interesting and in most ways a very successful day. Eleven AMs watched and commented on the presentation which outlined the history, present, and most importantly the future position as SWAT's own Case for Change. Every one of them said they would support SWAT and its objectives. Our local AMs Tamsin Dunwoody and Christine Gwyther publicly announced their full support to the consultants and SWAT members and offered their help in taking this forward with other AMs in a non-party political way. This is good news that everyone will be working together. Brian Gibbons unfortunately did not come to view the presentation (his reason was his time did not permit this); instead he requested that the five consultants and only two members of SWAT would be seen by himself and two of his staff in private in his office. He did not come to speak at all to the rest of the delegation who had travelled all those miles to meet and speak with him and he knew beforehand they would be there. He was given a full information pack and CD presentation. We all went into the public gallery to listen to the debate on health matters by Brian Gibbons. What a farce! He was under no circumstances going to listen to any other AMs comment or point of view. He started to read from a prepared script in front of him and only allowed a couple of interjections (which were in support of SWAT's concerns) and would then not allow any more comments to be put forward, claiming there was not enough time (again!), but even the speaker reminded him he had 15 minutes. This was to no avail; he just read on. The comment from one AM was that he might as well have fully read out Case for Change. Some members present in the chamber became quite restless and louder because he was adamant no one else would be given the chance to contribute. He is quoted as saying he has been in dialogue with the public and given them information. By that he means Case for Change has been sent to public bodies and organisations. No face to face dialogue to inform them. There is a very great need to get all these proposed changes into the public domain, meaning the man in the street, our community. The deadline for the end of this so-called consultation is January. Those documents were sent out in October. When after that will they downgrade our services until we lose them? Brian Gibbons has said that the consultants must compile reports and figures to justify their services being needed and affordable at Withybush by January. These people are extremely busy, well respected clinicians and consultants. When will they have the time to do all this as well as their normal medical work load? Who is helping them when time is clearly not on their side? I feel that as a matter of urgency all communities need to call a public meeting and ask SWAT along to enable the consultants to give their presentation and inform the public, especially as the deadline is January. We must all ask for this to be extended otherwise there will no time for any public consultation.

Clr. Maureen Molyneux, Mayor of Neyland