I WISH to apologise to readers for a mistake that I made in an earlier letter to the Malvern Gazette.

In utmost good faith I had reported that Malvern Hills District Council had been fined with regard to the number of refuse lorries in use exceeding its operating licence. I now believe that information to be incorrect.

I feel that it is important that a politician who gets it wrong, however rarely, has the grace to apologise. Immediately upon learning that I had made a mistake I emailed David Hughes, leader and chairman of

Malvern Hills District Council.

My letter to the Gazette should have read as follows:

Town councillors are 10 a penny (I should know, I am one), Malvern Hills district councillors on the other hand cost up to £350 an hour for one, plus expenses.

Oh, and those allowances they just voted themselves (hefty size pocket-money) as icing on the cake.

The allowances: about 30 minutes earlier a councillor was told that restoring the former 'good causes' grant system of £1,000 per councillor was not affordable, then by vote councillors decided to grant the the allowances, meanwhile Wychaven and Worcester decided not to increase allowances.

Malvern Town Council has just over £500,000 to run its entire budget. Malvern Hills District Council on the other hand spent shed-loads more (for example, more than £650,000 on wheelie-bins alone plus £1,500 extra every week on diesel to power the associated refuse lorry hydraulics.

Martin Lawrence

Malvern town councillor