I feel I must reply to Coun Phillips letter (Your Letters, April 19). If the Malvern Town Action Group have been able to find areas where it can make major savings why did Coun Phillips not identify and quantify these areas when this year's budget was being set? After all he was a member of the budget working party, which consisted of three MTAG members (one of whom was the chairman) and four others.

This year's budget was set from the bottom up with all areas of expenditure being looked at and examined in order to find ways of making savings and doing things more cost effectively. All members of the budget working party agreed unanimously this year's precept before it was presented to full council.

If there are many other areas where savings can be achieved, as suggested by Coun Phillips, then surely it was up to him to say so at the time, not keep them to himself and suggest that these savings can only be achieved when MTAG are in a majority on the council.

It is the genuine aim of all members of the Malvern Town Council to reduce the precept as much as we can while still providing a good level of service.