Angry councillors and residents are set to protest outside West Mendip Community Hospital in Glastonbury over NHS plans that could see 20 inpatient beds scrapped.

The demo will take place at 12.30pm on Tuesday, August 19, with organisers urging locals to turn out and send a clear message to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust is looking at closing, relocating or re-purposing beds in favour of "pathway beds" – designed to speed up discharges from acute hospitals so patients can finish treatment at home.

But critics fear the move will strip communities of much-needed local capacity.

Wells City Council has blasted the lack of transparency, warning no public consultation has been held and the business case hasn't been published – even though the decision is due to be finalised just two days before Somerset Council's Adults and Health Scrutiny Committee meets on August 21.

The Mayor of Wells, Councillor Louis Agabani, will attend that meeting to speak for the city's residents, while Town Clerk Haylee Wilkins will write to the trust demanding answers on what's planned, how it will affect patients, and what measures will be in place to soften the blow.