Bid to save town's meals on wheels service

Llanfyllin Town Council is looking at ways of taking on the service once Powys County Council ends its involvement in March. The county council will stop running all of its meals and wheels services across Powys as part of budget cuts.

No decision has yet been made over whether the town council will assume control of providing meals for the elderly and vulnerable, but Councillor Peter Lewis – who sits on both authorities – said he hoped the volunteer-led service would continue.

Councillors have received a presentation from a county council officer on how the service works.

Llanfyllin's Meals on Wheels service could be saved, and extended, by the town council after news that Powys Council Council is to stop its involvment in March.

The unitary authority has said it can no longer afford to run meals-on-wheels across the county.

So concerned are members of Llanfyllin Town Council that they are now looking at ways of taking over the service .

At this week's town council meeting councillors welcomed a Powys council officer to talk about the service and how it could continue.

County and Town Councillor, Peter Lewis, said he was extremely concerned.

"There are a lot of elderly and vulnerable people in Llanfyllin and they rely on the meals-on-wheels service," he said.

"It is a marvellous service, run by volunteers, and it really should continue. "

"The Llwyn Teg care home has said it would continue to supply the meals if Llanfyllin Town Council took over responsibility and I am sure the volunteers would continue."

Councillor Lewis said he believed that more people would use the meals-on-wheels service as well, if it was taken over and publicised.

"There are definately more people in Llanfyllin that would benefit from meals-on-wheels. The town council will now be looking at this carefully to see whether it can take over responsibility. We have to think about the insurance implications for example."

The town council is now to set up a meeting with the director responsible for social services at Powys County Council and will hold a further meeting in February.

"I would like to see us able to take over at the end of March so that the recipients would not notice any change to the meals-on-wheels service they currently receive."