IT’S back to the drawing board for St George’s Day celebrations in Malvern after town councillors failed to agree when to hold the event.

The council’s operations committee had been hoping to hold a parade featuring local scout and guide groups on April 10 - almost two-weeks before England’s patron saint is officially celebrated.

Councillor Caroline Bovey, speaking at a meeting of the full council on Tuesday (March 30), called the current proposals “a waste of time”, adding: “I’m in favour of this but St George’s Day is on April 23.

“If we’re going to do this it needs to be St George’s Day. If we cannot do it then, I suggest it’s a waste of our resources.”

The date had been set so as not to clash with 2011’s Easter Weekend when local scouts hold a major parade.

Councillor Patrick Mewton said: “I think we’re losing sight of something here. This is not just a parade for the scouts, it’s a celebration of out national saint’s day and it involves a lot more than just our two scout troops in Malvern. We, the English, are the only ones who do not celebrate our national saint.”

The matter was referred back to the council’s operations committee for more detailed work.

Meanwhile, it was agreed the town council would continue to support a community group formed to regenerate Elgar Avenue Community Garden.

The council’s operations committee had recommended allowing the Wilderness Regeneration Group to use the council-owned land for a further three-years despite concerns.

Coun Mike Selby said: “I’m very, very disappointed with what they have achieved so far. I think we need to keep the pressure on them. A quarterly report is a good idea.”

Coun Adrian Ward said: “I think the issue here is we want to be able to ensure that if they’re having three-years we can see progress.”

The motion, incorporating a quarterly review, was passed unanimously by councillors.