THE DISTRICT Council’s Democratic Group has called for the proposal to share a chief executive with Wychavon to be re-debated.
They have claimed a special council meeting should be arranged because members were unclear about the subsequent bid for a Government Transformation Grant worth upto £400,000.
The group has also sent letters to every member of Wychavon District Council expressing their concerns and also vowed to reverse the move if they get into power following the local elections next year.
Group leader Julian Roskams warned Malvern Hills would be downgraded to a ‘satellite’ authority with the council predominantly functioning from Wychavon’s hub in Pershore.
He said a joint chief executive would also see further senior management merged overtime leading to Malvern services controlled by Wychavon.
“Our first pledge is to review how best to rebuild public trust and confidence in our district council by ensuring that it is democratically run and works to serve the interests of local people first and foremost,” said Coun Roskams.
“Local elections next May will give the electorate the choice to continue with the present autocratic Tory administration, or to support the Democrats and Liberal Democrats who pledge to preserve local democracy and to ensure total transparency of decisions affecting all who live in Malvern Hills District.”
Coun Roskams further warned Malvern may lose weekly waste collections and revert to Wychavon’s fortnightly arrangements but the claim was rubbished by a spokesman for the two councils who said it would take a change of policy that would have to be voted through by Malvern councillors.
The spokesman also said the joint chief exec proposal was independent from the Government funding available which he described as a ‘bonus’.
Council leader David Hughes added: “I have not been involved with the letters. They seem to be a belated attempt to influence the policy decision of an independent council, the very thing the authors are warning Malvern Hills District Council about.”
