A petition drawn up by Oswestry’s mayor to oppose the removal of vital hospital services from Shrewsbury has been backed by parish councillors.

Councillor Paul Milner’s petition, which opposes the removal of accident and emergency services from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and calls for the creation of an urgent care centre in Oswestry, has already received more than 3,000 signatures.

Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group is currently overseeing a wholesale review of A&E provision, which will see existing services split between an emergency centre, where injured or unwell patients will be taken to by ambulance, and newly-created urgent care centres which will function as walk-in A&E departments.

Cllr Milner is optimistic he can win the support of residents in neighbouring towns after a constructive meeting with St Martins Parish Council last week.

He said: “I can’t thank members of St Martins Parish Council enough for their support. They gave their full backing to the petition, which will hopefully encourage residents living there to sign up, too.

“If we lose the existing services in Shrewsbury and they are relocated to Telford, it will be too far for many residents around here to travel.

“In the years ahead, around 2,000 homes will be built between Oswestry and other towns and villages nearby. That will inevitably increase the demand for access to emergency medical services and Shrewsbury is the only realistic option for that.

“Telford isn’t too far from other emergency centres at Wolverhampton and Stoke, whereas north Shropshire residents have no direct public transport route to Telford. Most involve changes at Shrewsbury.”

Further meetings could now be scheduled with parish councils in Gobowen, Selattyn and  West Felton to bolster support for the Shrewsbury hospital to adopt the role of an emergency centre.

Cllr Milner added: “The decision date is quite a way off but I want to keep banging the drum right up until that time and to keep adding as many signatures as I can to the petition to make sure these voices are heard.”