A COMPULSORY review of Malvern Town Council services is taking a back seat while the council attempts to sort out its cash crisis.

The council has a statutory duty to draw up a Best Value plan by March 31 next year. The plan is a review of all the services provided by the council to local taxpayers and a forecast of what it proposes to do.

Best Value prompted a heated debate at a town council meeting.

Some councillors believed the council should make a start on the Best Value plan, while others thought they should be concentrating on improving the council's precarious finances.

The council is so short of cash, it is relying on the payment of a VAT return to keep it functioning until the town precept comes in next January. If the return is not paid in time, Coun Ralph Madden warned the council could go broke by Christmas.

The council decided to appoint a Best Value working party which would not begin work on the review until January.