Image Source: Google Earth (taken September 2025)
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The future of Maesteg Hospital was debated at this month’s full council meeting.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board recently agreed its preferred option for the future of healthcare services in the Llynfi Valley. Subject to approvals and finance, this would see a new healthcare centre built at Ewenny Road, with the current Maesteg Hospital site closed.
The health board has been criticised for the poor handling of the public consultations. The views gathered by the independent patient voice body (Llais) weren’t even published alongside the report presented to the board when they made their decision in May 2026.
The motion was tabled by Cllr. Ross Penhale-Thomas (Ind, Maesteg West).
Motion for Debate
This Council: (full text available here):
- Notes Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s plans for healthcare provision in Maesteg and the Llynfi valley, and welcomes the commitment to healthcare investment.
- Notes that early proposals – based on retaining services at Maesteg Hospital – generated local optimism, but this changed to relocating services to a new site without meaningful further engagement with residents.
- Notes that there’s no clear position on the future of community inpatient beds for the Llynfi Valley, and further notes that step-up and step-down beds support hospitals by preventing avoidable admissions and enabling early discharge.
- Notes that confidence in Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board has been eroded by the way the proposals have been developed, changed and communicated.
- Makes it clear that the future of Maesteg Hospital is not a closed matter.
- Calls on Cwm Taf Morgannwg to provide clarity on the provision of community beds, as well as critical and acute care in the Bridgend area.
- Calls on Cwm Taf Morgannwg to “reset its relationship with the community” and take account of the findings from Llais, undertaking renewed face-to-face engagement in Maesteg and the wider Bridgend area, and setting out which decisions can still be shaped by the public.
- Agrees, in principle, that Bridgend Council considers its role in the future of the Maesteg Hospital site, should it no longer be used for healthcare, aiming to secure it for community use.
Cllr. Penhale-Thomas said the commitment to investment was welcome, but the process to get to this stage hasn’t been good enough. The erosion of residents’ trust was reflected in the findings by Llais – which everyone should take note of.
People need, firstly, clarity on what’s happening – particularly the future of community beds. Secondly, they need a better idea of what happens to the Maesteg Hospital site if it closes. He went on to add that there needs to be a “reset” in how the health board consults with local communities when making big decisions.
Cllr. Martin Hughes (Lab, Maesteg East) noted a cross-party push by Llynfi Valley councillors to draft a list of issues to present to the Public Service Board, but this was turned down. There are signs that health boards don’t face proper scrutiny and accountability for their decisions, which is something the Welsh Government needs to look at.
"Unknowns" on the future of healthcare elsewhere in the county
Deputy Council Leader, Cllr. Jane Gebbie (Lab, Pyle, Kenfig Hill & Cefn Cribwr), repeated that this wasn’t about opposing investment in healthcare, but the lack of clarity and change in direction.
Cllr. Gebbie added that it’s questionable whether the Princess of Wales Hospital has a full accident & emergency department, given the number of diversions away from there (particularly to Royal Glamorgan Hospital), while other elective services have been centralised in Bridgend.
An “awful lot of unknowns” remained, with Cllr. Gebbie listed a significant number of healthcare services that have temporarily or permanently moved away from Bridgend, been closed or downgraded.
Cllr. Sean Aspey (Ind, Porthcawl West Central) noted oversubscription of the Porthcawl medical centre, with promised meetings with the health board leadership never materialising. Cllr. Freya Bletsoe (Ind, Oldcastle) raised similar concerns.
Cllr Amanda Williams (Ind, Coity Higher) said it was “scandalous” that residents had to travel out of the county to access community hospital beds (in Maesteg’s case, to Treorchy Hospital). As a supposed partner organisation, Bridgend Council continues to be let down by the health board, often waiting weeks for responses to enquiries when it previously took a few days.
The motion was unanimously approved.
