THE MALVERN Hills Trust chair has resigned amid claims she had been 'bullied and belittled' for 'telling the truth.'

Cynthia Palmer, who was chair of the Malvern Hills Trust before her shock resignation at a Trust board meeting on Thursday, further claimed the ordeal had made her ill. 

This latest development comes amid the row between the Trust and campaigners over plans to change the way the organisation is being run.

The Trust said it was most concerned to hear the allegation of bullying made by Mrs Palmer in her resignation statement and will be investigating the matter.

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Mrs Palmer, who is also a councillor on Malvern Hills District Council, said in her resignation speech: "I have been a Trustee for almost six years, but since January I have been bullied and belittled by the Trust for telling the truth and it has made me ill. 

"It is therefore with regret that I am resigning. 

"I would like to sincerely thank the three Trustees who have worked tirelessly to try and clear my name and wish them well in their future endeavours. 

"I would also like to thank the members of the public who have supported me."

The mooted changes to the way the Trust is run, which have to be made in Parliament through a private bill, have led to campaigners claiming they would lose their democratic right to elect their own trustees.

Also high on campaigners' concerns is the fear public access to the hills would be restricted. 

Malvern Hills Trust has previously dismissed these claims as 'unfounded, inflammatory and grossly misleading.' 

Mrs Palmer added she did not consider the Trust to be ready to push forward with the bill and suggested waiting another twelve months and engaging with the levy-paying public to settle their differences. 

She added: "The Consultancy has been a waste of time and money with only 200 responses, as opposed to over 1,700 people signing a petition against it.  

"I consider that those Trustees who orchestrated my downfall should be ashamed of themselves and should be seriously considering their position on the board. 

"The only thing I did wrong was tell the Charity Commission the truth."

Malvern Hills Trust Vice Chair David Core said: "We thank Cynthia for her positive contributions and wish her well in the future. 

"We shall be making arrangements to appoint a new chair as soon as possible.  

“The Trust is most concerned to hear the allegation of bullying made by Cynthia Palmer in her resignation statement. 

"The Trust takes such allegations very seriously and has policies and processes in place to deal with them. 

"No formal complaint has been received and the Trust will be contacting Mrs Palmer to establish how her concerns can be addressed appropriately.

“Such personnel matters are of course confidential so the Trust cannot comment further on the details of any specific complaint.”