MALVERN Town Council has considered ignoring a Government directive to show the public it is getting "best value".

It must produce a document by the end of this financial year describing how it gets the best possible return for ratepayers' money.

Debate over how to meet the deadline - or whether to - was held at a meeting last Thursday.

Some councillors said the deadline should be ignored.

Coun Roger Hall-Jones (Priory) said: "It may be that it would be better not to do it, and just receive the penalty for it."

Coun David Williams (Trinity) objected. He said: "We could have administrators in to run the council for us."

A working party has been formed to draw up the document, but it will not meet until January, when a clearer idea of council finances will have emerged.

Coun David Houghton-Smith (Link), who was closely involved in the drawing-up of last year's Best Value plans with former town clerk Stuart McDonough said he did not see why the council couldn't leave the work until January.

But Coun Graham Myatt (Trinity), who has experience of Best Value from his work as a district councillor, voted against delaying the working party's first meeting.

He objected on grounds that he did not think it would leave anywhere near enough time to draw up the plan.

"I think it is a fatal thing we have done," he said.