THE inquiry into the dispute between St Ann’s Well café tenant John Redman and the Malvern Hills Conservators may require a budget of at least £5,000.

The inquiry committee will request the conservators' board grant the initial amount to cover the next stage of proceedings.

It will help to pay for secretarial work to catalogue all the documentation involved in the case, as well as any legal advice required from London law firm Kingsley Napley.

The next moves in the inquiry will also include writing to former and current members of the board, Mr Redman and other interested parties inviting them to submit written evidence for consideration. Oral submissions may then be sought if necessary.

Plans were also made for a section of the conservators’ website to be dedicated to the inquiry so members of the public will have easy access to all of the information.