Last week, I joined a public meeting at Colyford Memorial Hall to discuss the future of Seaton Hospital. Several hundred people turned up and packed into the hall on a wet Friday afternoon, eager to have their say on plans which could see a whole wing of the community hospital sold and demolished.

The sense of anger in the room was palpable. Several people spoke about how much the hospital had helped their loved ones. Many residents in their 70s and 80s remembered donating to it - and recalled the big difference the people who have worked out of it have made.

Some people were shocked to learn that the very wing they helped raise funds for was not owned by NHS Devon, and has been held since 2016 by a Government-owned company called NHS Property Services.

The mood of the room was plain – Seaton Hospital should belong to the community. Axe Valley residents feel a strong sense of ownership of the space and want to see it used. They would sooner see it used by the community and local charities to enable greater levels of care and support, rather than it being put up for sale and flattened.

At the meeting I made clear my determination as your Liberal Democrat MP to fight these changes. I am determined to stop NHS Property Services and others from putting a wrecking ball through Seaton Hospital.

The care local people receive from the staff at the hospital is first-class, enabling them to be cared for at home or close to home. We heard about the sorts of services that the League of Friends and Re:Store propose, and how these could help relieve pressure on the RD&E in the future.

The popularity of the meeting - as well as one that I joined in Beer the previous Sunday - shows you share my determination. I have already raised these concerns directly with the Prime Minister at PMQs. I have also written a letter to the Health Secretary, called a meeting with NHS Devon and NHS Property Services, and secured a debate in Parliament on the subject on Monday 13 November.

If these proposals go ahead, who knows which community hospital could be on the chopping block next? If you haven’t already, please consider signing my petition so we can show NHS Property Services that we won’t stand for this – www.tivandhonlibdems.org.uk/seaton-hospital