A SHAKE-UP among West Worcestershire Liberal Democrats has brought the temporary suspension of the Malvern branch and the resignation of the prospective Parliamentary candidate.

The party had high hopes for its candidate, Mike Hadley, after he made serious inroads into the solid Conservative seat held by Sir Michael Spicer at the 1997 election.

But he failed to make any further headway in 2001, despite receiving personal support from former party leader Paddy Ashdown.

And his cause could not have been helped by the controversy surrounding Malvern Town Council during the months preceding the General Election.

Malvern Town Action Group, formed last February when the council was proposing a massive 61 per cent increase in council tax, had called for the resignation of all 25 councillors and the town clerk, accusing them of inefficiency and mismanagement.

Twelve of the councillors were Liberal Democrats.

Heart-searching in the constituency after the General Election led to a request for an independent review by members from the West Midlands region.

The Malvern branch was suspended from Monday, December 17, until Friday, January 4, because of a delay in producing the report, said constituency party chairman Rob Brett.

"We wanted the branch to start with an absolutely clean sheet, so we took an administrative decision that the new branch executive shouldn't take its place until after the report had come out," he said.

"The suspension was lifted on the day the report was presented and no one has resigned from the executive other than Mike Hadley.

"He said the day after the election that he wouldn't seek the seat again."

Mr Brett said the party owed Mr Hadley a debt of gratitude for putting the constituency on the map as a marginal seat.

He would not disclose the report's findings, except to say that the constituency party needed to work much more closely with its local councillors.

"It's only in part to do with Malvern Town Council," he said.

"That can't have done the party any good, but at election time our four very popular county councillors, Tom Wells, Diane Rayner, Jennette Davy and Jeremy Webb, all got in again in Malvern."