Councillors reverse ban on them accessing buildings without appointment

Members at a district council earlier this month unanimously agreed to reverse a decision to exclude them from the authority’s buildings without a pre-arranged appointment.

According to the Malvern Gazette, the original decision to exclude all members was taken following a dispute between a councillor and an officer.

Cllr Paul Swinburn, Deputy Leader at Malvern Hills, said: "Obviously member conduct is an important issue, but we felt the blanket approach was not the only option. Any problems with conduct will be immediately referred to the Chief Executive and the Monitoring Officer."

Jack Hegarty, the council’s new chief executive, said: "I welcome this decision wholeheartedly. We are promoting a team approach between officers and members."