A BUSINESS leader has told a council cabinet member to consider his position if he does not publish his plans for the wider reopening of shops.

Trevor Draper, chairman of Malvern Business Voice which represents around 120 businesses in the town, has told Councillor Alan Amos, the county council’s cabinet member for highways, to “put up or shut up” over his plans for maintaining social distancing amid non-essential shops across the county opening for the first time in months.

Mr Draper accused Cllr Amos and Worcestershire County Council of “negligence and incompetence” over its preparation for the reopening saying he was “very concerned” by the lack of response to his calls for a proper plan.

“Either he wants to publish the plans they have got, immediately, or he needs to consider his position as cabinet member for highways,” Mr Draper said.

“He has left it so late for the high streets across the county that it only underlines the comments that I made [on June 11] that the council has been negligent and incompetent.”

He said Cllr Amos needed to reconsider publishing the council’s plans for social distancing on the county’s high streets.

Responding to Mr Draper’s accusations last week, Cllr Amos had said the council was working on providing signs encouraging social distancing and new guidance had been developed to allow businesses to use pavements in front of their shops if it was safe to do so.

Mr Draper said: “Whether [Cllr Amos] is allowing for pavement trading, as in they are going to penalise businesses putting tables and chairs on the High Street, is irrelevant if his pavements and high streets are too narrow for pedestrians to walk safely along.

“If he is only talking about Worcester then, again, it shows his close-mindedness when it comes to the other towns within the county.”

Mr Draper said allowing businesses to use pavements might work in Worcester but could prove difficult in Malvern where they are much narrower, and it would be difficult to social distance properly.

“He is responsible for people’s lives. If he takes such a dim and reckless view, then I am asking him and the council to consider his position because he is playing with people’s livelihoods.

“He is already being berated over his comments about cycling and this again only underlines his lack of social responsibility and understanding of the public’s feelings at the moment and he is really not in the position he should be in.

“I’m very disappointed on how Cllr Amos is treating the people and businesses of our towns.”

A spokesman for Worcestershire County Council said on Monday (June 15): “The county council is working with the district council’s to support the re-opening of non-essential shops in line with the Government’s recent announcement.”

Cllr Amos did not respond to a request for comment.

Last week, Mr Draper accused the council of negligence and incompetence.

He said: “They should have started this much earlier so, at the very least they are negligent, and at the very worst incompetent because they haven’t been able to do it.

“I’m very concerned because a request from the public, as in myself, as a resident and taxpayer, has been ignored and the trade group I’m representing, which has 120 businesses, which between them have several thousand employees which create significant revenue for the council I’m sure, has also been ignored.”