Members agreed at a special meeting on Tuesday to apply to the court for permission to judicially review the decision.

The council had previously made strong representations to the PCT and the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee to object to the decision, which it claimed was not in the best interests of the local community because of the 'flawed nature' of the decision-making process.

"Concerns included lack of due regard to rural deprivation in our district, issues surrounding accessibility and transport, the ability of the ambulance service to meet its already overstretched targets, and retention of the workforce," said a statement issued after the council meeting.

"The council sought assurances from the PCT on these and other issues, but unfortunately their response did not satisfy the council's concerns."

Council leader Cllr Myles Cullen said: "While we are mindful to avoid incurring unnecessary public expenditure on court proceedings, we feel it is in the interests of our community to apply for judicial review of the decision."

Cllr Cullen said the decision must be roundly challenged for the sake of the community.

"It is absolutely right that this council does everything possible to make sure that we look after the best interests of our community."

Cllr Andrew Smith, leader of the Lib Dem opposition, said he fully supported the decision.

"The public expect us to protect their interests, and it is quite right that we should be exploring every possible avenue," he added.

The statement added that the council was also fully supportive of the JHOSC decision to refer the issue to health secretary Alan Johnson. Within this process, the authority had made its own detailed submission to the secretary of state.