THE chairman of Wythall Parish Council has resigned to voice her opinion more freely on a long-running battle with Bromsgrove District Council.

Councillor Sue Baxter told the Advertiser she felt it better to resign so she could speak openly about a new doctors' surgery at Beaudesert Park in the village.

"If you are chairman of the parish council you have to remain unbiased and impartial and I feel so appalled with this particular issue that I found it very difficult to remain unbiased so I felt it better to resign," she said.

Mrs Baxter, who is also a district councillor, said efforts to secure planning permission for the new medical centre, to include new parish council offices, had been ongoing for two years and she accused Bromsgrove District Council of "moving the goalposts".

Two extraordinary full council meetings were held by the parish council to agree to a new lease for the land, as well as a section 106 agreement - a legal agreement to cover the district council's loss of open spaces.

Mrs Baxter said she felt they had been "stitched up" by the district council, which had expected the Primary Care Trust to put in a large amount of money to compensate for loss of open space, as the land was vandalised and currently of very little community use.

"It's not that I have fallen out with anyone, or that I'm fed up being a parish councillor - I am still committed to it," she added.

"I just feel I am better fighting the cause as a backbencher, I will be able to put forward my arguments as a parish councillor, not as the chairman."

A district council spokesman said the project had required a huge amount of legal negotiation which was near to completion.

"The council as a local planning authority was minded to approve it subject to a section 106 agreement, and in this instance the legal agreement had to cover loss of open space," he said.

"Through various negotiations it was decided the council would accept a contribution from doctors in lieu of loss of open space."