FIVE councillors in Malvern have missed more than half of the council meetings over the last 12 months.

Councillors Chris Dell, Phillip Grove, Robert Kerby, Rebecca Massey and Mike Morgan, all from the ruling Conservative group, have missed more than half of the Malvern Hills District Council meetings they were eligible to attend that have been held since February 28, 2018.

Cllr Dell, representing Lindridge, who has been at 41 per cent of meetings over the last year, said: “The problem I have is that my parishes are all a long way from Malvern so if I am going to go to the parish council meetings in my ward, it is often not possible to go to those and attend full council meetings in the same night.

“These residents elected me, so my first loyalty is to them. If there is a clash between a commitment locally and a meeting at Malvern, I have to consider if I could make a difference by going to Malvern. The public deserve to know where we are, after all they elect us and pay our wages.”

Cllr Robert Kerby, who has attended 38 per cent of the meetings, said: "As a young and engaged Councillor, measuring Councillors purely on meeting attendance is outdated and requires change to bring us into modern times and allow a broader cross section of society to be involved.

"This is especially important for attracting younger candidates who may often work away from Malvern, have busy schedules, but can still add a huge amount of value and skills to the communities and Council they wish to serve. Without change, we will rob the future Council of the talent that is available."

Cllr Mike Morgan, who has a 39 per cent attendance record, said being in full-time employment made it difficult for him to be at every meeting. Cllr Grove said personal circumstances were the reason for his record, but Cllr Massey was unavailable for comment.