Malvern Environment Protection Group

Overview

Overview

Contact information

Proposals to update governance at the Malvern Hills Trust

Malvern Hills Action Group

Overview

The Malvern Environment Protection Group (MEPG) evolved from the Friends of the Commons of Malvern Residents' Association which had been formed to fight a proposal by the Malvern Hills Trust to sell part of the common on the Guarlford Road to facilitate a housing development.

This proposal was hotly debated at a special meeting of the Board of the Malvern Hills Trust (MHT) on Tuesday 19th March 2019  in the Gryphon Room Malvern College and by a narrow margin the Trustees voted against the proposal.

Soon after it was decided to rebadge the residents association the Malvern Environment Protection Group in order to give the group a wider remit to address environmental issues within the Malvern Hills District; (the initial objectives of the association had been to promote and protect the character of the lowland commons east of the Malvern Hills).

Recent issues concerning MEPG have included the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) and proposals to update governance at the Malvern Hills Trust.

MEPG contact information

Website: https://www.malvernenvironmentprotectiongroup.com/

On the website you can sign up with your email address to receive news and updates.

 https://www.facebook.com/MalvernEnvironmentProtectionGroup/

Proposals to update governance at the Malvern Hills Trust

For some years a group of Trustees at the Malvern Hills Trust (the working name of the Malvern Hills Conservators) has been pressing for the various Malvern Hills Acts to be rationalised into a single document more appropriate to the modern age.

The initial proposal was to do this by means of a Charity Commission Scheme which would largely have avoided scrutiny by MPs.

Click to see our article Changes afoot at the Malvern Hills Trust

This led to a Public Consultation in 2020 run by the MHT.

Because of concerns raised by members of the residents' association the Charity Commission decided not to proceed with the Scheme, meaning that the MHT would instead have to submit proposals to Parliament by means of a Private Members Bill.

The Trustees of the MHT have since spent 4 years rejigging their proposals and are now near the end of a second Public Consultation which ends on 22nd July 2024. The Trustees of the MHT hope to offer their latest proposals to Parliament in November 2024.

MEPG are inviting residents to sign up to an on-line petition, and complete the MHT on-line questionnaire before the deadline of Monday 22nd July 2024.

A link to the questionnaire can be found in the MHT document below.

Public Consultation on a proposed Parliamentary Bill

Public concerns

Some residents have had concerns about the emerging MHT governance proposals. These hinge on the MHT seemingly wanting to set itself up as a business with more powers than it has now and less accountability to the precept payers who are currently forced to fund the MHT through a levy on Council Tax.

Then there is the cost. The MHT appears to have budgeted the considerable sum of £410,000 to pursue consolidation of the Malvern Hills Acts by means of a Private Members Bill.

 The Malvern Hills Trust began life as Public Body later registering as a Charity with the Charity Commission in 1984 iin order to avoid VAT. That has potentially created a conflict between Public Service and the obligation, as a Charity, to 'maximise income'.

The Malvern Hills Trust is a truly unique organisation and, in due course, the proposed governance changes can be expected to be carefully scrutinised by either the House of Commons, or the House of Lords.

The Trustees do not appear unanimous

The Malvern Hills Trust is open in some respects, but secretive in other ways. Yes, it publishes a record of meetings and the public are welcome to attend most meetings, but Trustees now have to sign that they will not discuss issues with the public (who fund them).

Very significantly the Chairman of the Malvern Hills Trust resigned at a Board meeting on 11th July 2024.

Her statement recorded by MPEG at the meeting is as follows, quote:-

I have been a Trustee for almost six years.

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 I wish them well in their future endeavours.

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

I do not consider that the Trust is ready to push forward with this Bill. It will be better to wait another twelve months and to engage with the levy-paying public to settle your differences.

The Consultancy has been a waste of time and money with only 200 responses, as opposed to over 1,700 people signing the (MPEG)Petition.

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.

I will now leave you, and leave you to carry on with your meeting.

We are told that the meeting was subsequently adjourned.

These are extremely serious allegations which we suggest may need to be investigated by the Charity Commission.

The next day (12th July) the Chair was swiftly deleted from the Board profiles on the website and position marked vacant. News on the website was updated with the following bland release:-

Following the resignation of Chair at the board meeting on Thursday 11th July, Vice Chair David Core has made the below statement.

Malvern Hills Trust acknowledges the resignation of Cynthia Palmer from the Board. We thank her for her positive contributions and wish her well in the future. Cynthia has been a trustee since 2019 including tenures as Vice Chair and Chair.

We shall be making arrangements to appoint a new chair as soon as possible. Meanwhile, we shall be proceeding with the public consultation on proposals to update the Trust's governance, which is open until the 22nd July and we welcome everyone’s views.

Clearly there is some disagreement amongst the Trustees which the MHT appears reluctant to air in public. One wonders whether the management style of the MHT is not far from that revealed by the Post Office Horizon Inquiry.

Malvern Hills Action Group

A further website has recently appeared under the banner of the Malvern Hills Action Group offering a critique of the Malvern Hills Governance proposals.

Website: Malvern Hills Action Group

Email: malvernhillsactiongroup@gmail.com

This is said to be a fact checking website which takes a forensic approach. It suggests every claim made by the Malvern Hills Conservators has been examined in depth and all but a few of its proposals have been found wanting. Parts are heavy reading but that is because it takes one sentence to make a false statement, while it takes many weeks (literally in some cases) to find the  evidence to disprove it and several paragraphs to identify that evidence in writing.

Note of caution: we do not know who manages the website and are unable to judge the veracity of the claims.

Back to top