A HOUSE of Lords select committee has made changes to the controversial Malvern Hills Bill after a series of concerns were raised by petitioners.
After weeks of deliberation and hearing from those who had petitioned against the bill, which aims to make changes to the way the Malvern Hills Trust is governed, the select committee has published a 111-page report on its findings.
There have been 50 petitions against the bill, which is believed “to be unprecedented in recent times in the case of a private bill.”
These petitions raised a variety of concerns about the trust’s proposals.
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Among the committee’s changes to the bill is to increase the number of elected trustees from what had been proposed by the trust.
Currently, there are 29 trustees, 11 of whom are elected, 17 nominated by local authorities and one nominated by the Church Commissioners.
The trust had wanted reduce the total number to 12, evenly split between six elected and six appointed trustees.
Instead, it was ruled that eight should be elected and four appointed, with the committee saying this would “ensure appropriate accountability”.
A select committee has published its findings on the Malvern Hills Bill (Image: NQ)
The committee also rejected a proposed change about the wording of the trust’s objects, in which the trust had wanted to refer to the natural “appearance” of the hills, rather than the natural “aspect”.
The committee said the word “unenclosed” should not be removed from the phrase about keeping the hills “unenclosed and unbuilt on”.
A further change will require the trust to consult more widely on changes to rights of public access and changes to byelaws, including with bodies representing the interests of people with disabilities, any person who the trust believes is exercising a right to graze livestock on the Malvern Hills, and “any such other persons as the trust thinks fit.”
During the select committee stage, it was ruled that nine petitioners did have the right to be heard by the committee, after the trust had argued that they didn’t.
Five of these petitioners were trustees.
However, the committee dismissed the right to be heard of 22 petitioners, who had been challenged by the trust.
Thirteen petitions were withdrawn before or during the committee’s proceedings and three petitioners chose not to attend or did not respond to an invitation to appear.
The committee said John Michael, the chairman of the Malvern Hills Trust’s board of trustees, and trustees who supported the bill had not given evidence in person.
A spokesperson for the committee said: “The committee notes that there was a ‘substantial body of opposition to the bill’ among local people and a feeling that no effective consultation was undertaken by the Malvern Hills Trust.
“The committee further expresses regret that the neither the chairman of the trust, nor any board members supporting the bill made themselves available to give evidence to the committee in person.”
The bill will now progress to its third reading in the House of Lords.