I WAS concerned that some of the candidates in last week's Malvern Hills District Council elections had financial interests in development land that would have prevented them from fully representing their potential constituents in very important discussions and decisions over the next few years.

This has been an issue during the last few years to the detriment of several local communities where such personal interests have meant that their councillors could not represent local views.

We need representatives of whatever political persuasion who will speak up in meetings and are not constrained in any way by having financial interests that could affect their right to represent their constituents' views and by their pecuniary interests precluding them from votes on matters which are very important to local people.

On April 10 all of the candidates standing in the Powick ward were all asked, in hand-delivered letters, to confirm whether or not they held any interests in development land in the Powick ward or elsewhere.

Three of them, Mrs Newman, Mr Wells and Mr Barrie, all confirmed that they held no such interest. One candidate, Mrs Beard, frankly and promptly confirmed that she did in fact hold a family financial interest in the Newland development site, and one candidate, Mr Bicknell, has so far declined to repond at all.

I have no political affiliation to any of the parties who stood at the election, I am only concerned with fairness and full representation for local people who will be affected by the forthcoming developments in Malvern Hills.

Heather Jeavons

Malvern