THE group campaigning to save the Sandiway GP surgery will be allowed to make a representation at the crucial decision meeting.

NHS Cheshire clinical commissioning group’s primary care committee will determine the fate of the facility, which has been fought by residents since closure plans were revealed in December 2019.

Earlier this month, Cheshire West and Chester councillors recommended postponing the move, citing concerns over the timing of the consultation process, and the fact it concluded before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the meeting, Cllr Rachel Williams said: “We have not got the power to say, ‘no you cannot do it’, so this is the road we are going down — giving residents the opportunity to speak, and giving them the opportunity to speak to the residents.”

Louise Barry, from the area’s Health Watch partnership, added the consultation process was ‘very fragmented and a little incoherent'.

That meeting also saw claims from Danebridge Medical Practice over the cost of renovating the building dismissed.

Danebridge, who operate the site, stated that it would cost £1.2 million to demolish and rebuild the facility — whereas NHS estimates predicting remedial works to cost in the region of £250-300,000.

A spokesperson for the action group said: “This is, of course, significantly less than the costs of demolishing the existing surgery and rebuilding it, which is what Danebridge Medical Practice told the patients in January and we feel this was misleading.”

The group also says Eddisbury MP Edward Timpson will write to the chair of the primary care committee expressing his support for keeping the surgery open.

NHS Cheshire CCG primary care committee will meet on November 5.