UP 200 beds could go at Gloucestershire hospitals as part of plans to save the county NHS Trust money.

It has been revealed that Gloucesterhshire Hospitals NHS Trust has plans to get rid of between 150 to 200 beds to pay for a funding shortfall.

The first phase will see 95 beds go at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital from April 1.

The Trust, which runs both Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General, said it has to save between £27 million and £30 million in the 2010/11 financial year.

Staff at the hospitals were told earlier this week and a Trust spokesman said they did not expect to make any redundancies, but would look to redeploy staff.

Chief executive Dr Frank Harsent said the trust had "no choice" but to make the savings.

"We do not have the right to spend taxpayers' money that we have not been given and in order to make the savings, these plans have to be ready to begin making a difference from the start of the financial year on 1 April," he said.

Members of Gloucestershire County Council reacted angrily to the proposals, which they said they had not be informed of and had been kept a secret.

Gloucestershire Conservatives have announced a package of measures to fight the plan, including freedom of information act requests and questions in parliament.

Cllr Barry Dare, leader of the council, said: "This is a secretive decision – I am particularly concerned that the NHS is trying to keep Gloucestershire people and their elected representatives in the dark about their plans. We have taken steps, such as FOI requests to force them to come clean."