I CONGRATULATE Chris O’Donnell on her victory in the Wells by-election.

At the same time I would advise her that it really is a hollow victory.

If one is to total up all the results one will see that there were 532 people who did not want Ms O’Donnell, so her 300 votes is no conquest.

To refer to a comment made in these columns a couple of weeks ago by Mr Baker who suggested that rather than criticise, people might put themselves up for election. Well, Mr Baker, here they did and if there had not been so many who were fed up with the regime of Malvern Hills District Council leader David Hughes then Ms O’Donnell would possibly have lost.

Time will now tell. Does she know what she is joining? Will she have a mind of her own, or will she just become another yes girl to Cllrs Hughes and Swinburn?

Mike Charles

Malvern town councillor