A ROW around the future of Malvern Hills Trust has intensified with campaigners heading to a Malvern Town Council meeting to air their 'serious concerns'. 

Members of the Malvern Environment Protection Group took to last week's full council meeting to tell councillors the fears they have about the Bill, which they feel would negatively impact Malvern. 

But Malvern Hills Trust CEO Deborah Fox said the campaigner's claims wholly misrepresented those who had worked so long to put forward coherent plans and make the organisation fit for the future. 

The Malvern Hills Trust has opened a public consultation on proposals for updating the Trust’s governance to make it 'fit for the 21st century', with these changes to the way the Trust is run having to be made in Parliament through a private bill. 

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The Malvern Environment Protection Group claims the bill would cost taxpayers over £800,000, but Ms Fox said allegations about amounts spent had been 'grossly inflated.' 

She added just under £55,000 had been spent on legal fees towards the bill, with the Charity Commission capping the amount that can be spent at £306,000.

Campaigners also claim they will lose their democratic right to elect their own trustees and feel public access to the hills would be restricted- something the trust staunchly denies as being a possibility. 

Katharine Harris, speaking on behalf of the Malvern Environment Protection Group, said: "We were there to alert the town council before this private bill came into serious consideration, we have serious concerns with this bill and what this would do to Malvern. 

"If the trust gets a general power the restriction can be removed without any debate, and the Trust will be able to do anything it wants. 

"We went there to air some serious concerns that we feel to date are being ignored."

Mrs Harris added she was encouraged by the town council's response to their concerns. 

Malvern Town Council has now set up a task and finish group to take a look at the consultation documents with a view to submitting a response.

Ms Fox said: "Whilst we take the concerns of local groups seriously, misinformation is being spread through several media channels. 

"As a charity, the trust simply cannot do the sorts of things that are being suggested. 

"Charity rules protect the public from the wrongdoings being implied."

A public consultation is being run which closes on July 22, or five days earlier for paper questionnaire responses. 

Email www.malvernhills.org.uk/governance-changes/ or email info@malvernhills.org.uk for more information.