'SOMEONE Should Have A Go At The Council' was the ominous headline in the Gazette 50 years ago this week.

"Faced with higher rents and a surcharge of five shillings a week on sons and daughters over 21 who are living at home, some of the occupants of Malvern's 1,800 council dwellings have decided to form a Council Tenants' Association.

"About 70 of them attended a meeting at Trinity Hall, Link Top, on Friday, presided over by Mr C Waller, chairman of a shadow committee which has been working on the plan for four months.

"Mr C Harrison told the meeting that, as a result of their door-to-door canvassing, 820 people, or 90 per cent of those they had called on, had already paid half-a-crown to join the society. All old age pensioner tenants were to be accepted as honorary members.

"He said the whole thing had started because of excessive rents. Some people were paying as much as 22s 6d more. Though he had made enquiries up and down the country, he had not found another place where rents had gone up so much.

" 'We are going to let the country know how we are being exploited,' declared Mr Harrison. 'We shall go to our MP and, if we get nowhere with him, then we shall go further.

" 'This town has been too long without anybody to fight the council. The time is long overdue when someone should have a go at them.'

"Mr Harrison hastened to add that the society did not wish to fall out with the council. Every case that came up would taken to them in the first place. Only if nothing was done would they go over the heads of the council to the Ministry of Health."