CIVIC leaders in Williton at the forefront of a campaign to fight the closure of more than half the beds at the village's hospital are appealing for community help to get the controversial move overturned.

Williton Parish Council has already told health chiefs it wants a public meeting called to discuss the decision not to reopen one of the hospital's two wards - closed last autumn for a review - cutting the number of bed spaces from 45 to 20.

But now councillors are launching an appeal for information that would help them build a case against the statistics used by the Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to justify the reduction in beds.

They are questioning the assertion by the trust that the demand for beds at the community facility is not high.

The trust insists that a recent review revealed that on average beds were less than three-quarters full, with bed occupancy rates consistently low over the last two years.

Although many local people dispute this, councillors in Williton say they now want to hear from anyone who has had difficulty getting a bed in the unit or with relatives who have experienced problems.

They also want to hear from anyone who may have been discharged home from Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital, or other general hospitals, rather than being given the chance to recuperate at Williton.

They are still awaiting a response from health chiefs over the demand for a public meeting but are keen to ensure they have written evidence to substantiate what they believe is the need to have more beds at the hospital.

At the council's monthly meeting on Monday, Cllr Rebecca James said: "We need more information from people who haven't been able to get a bed there.

"We need proof so that we can build a justifiable argument - we need to know how this decision is affecting people's lives locally."

Having already received a letter of support from Luxborough Parish Council for their campaign, councillors have also decided to lobby other neighbouring town and parish councils to gauge wider reaction to the closures.

Cllr James said the decision to axe so many bed spaces had been taken when research showed that West Somerset had the highest average age of population in the UK - 52 - with three in ten people in the district over 65.

She said at a time when all services, including public transport, was facing cutbacks it was important to have facilities on the doorstep, where patients could be easily visited by relatives and friends.

Councillors also want to know the health trust's plans for the mothballed ward.

Cllr Elizabeth Peeks said: "We need to know what they intend to do with it.

"It should not just remain empty and unused - it should be available for some community or medical use."

The reduction in the number of beds sparked outrage from staff, who have been assured here will be no job losses but who could face redeployment to hospitals as far as Glastonbury or Burnham-on-Sea.

They have said Williton has a reputation for excellent care for both patients and their relatives and have warned of the impact on the local area of the loss of such a valuable community facility.

The hospital's League of Friends, which has raised thousands of pounds for additional facilities and improvements over decades, has also voiced its concern.

But the trust insists that the funds freed up by the bed reduction - around £800,000 - will be used to develop non in-patient services at the hospital and other health services locally.