At a tense and crowded meeting of Malvern Hills District Council on Tuesday 2 September, opposition groups brought forward a motion to delay, and in effect derail, the Conservative Administration’s plans to appoint a Joint Chief Executive with Wychavon District Council.
At two previous Council meetings, in July, Members had voted narrowly in favour of such an appointment but opponents tried one more time to overturn that decision. Following a partial walk-out by a handful of ‘Democratic’ Group Members, Council voted by 19 to 12 with two abstentions to reject the wrecking motion and thereby confirm their earlier decision.
Speaking in the debate, Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Swinburn attacked the opposition motion and the accompanying report as being ‘seriously flawed’ and ‘quite worthless’. He went on to compare the alternatives suggested by the opposition groups with that recommended by the Administration; in each case, he argued, the alternatives had not been properly thought through and would prove considerably more expensive for Malvern Hills Council Tax payers. Implementing the shared CEO role was ‘by far the best option.’
Supporting this, Leader Cllr David Hughes went on to list the great benefits that forging such a partnership with Wychavon would have; not only would a joint CEO save MHDC tens of thousands of pounds each year, it would also strengthen the resilience of Malvern Hills and widen the resources available to both councils while maintaining the sovereignty and political integrity of each. Some 40 District Councils around the country now shared CEO’s and this was a proven success – to such a degree that the Conservative led government through it’s ‘Transformation Fund’ was encouraging Councils to come together in this way.
It is proposed that the Councils will agree a joint appointment in the autumn.