THIS piece is by way of a word of warning to Bromyard Town Council.

The council is still set on the idea of buying the old magistrates' court and neighbouring former library, on Church Street, to convert to a new council office and community and youth centre.

This type of ambition by a town council will have a familiar ring to our Malvern readers and in view of the experience here, we are surprised there has not been more concern expressed about the plans by people in Bromyard.

In 1998 Malvern Town Council bought the former Manders chemists, on Belle Vue Terrace, for £205,000. The original cost of the scheme to then convert the building to a council office with community facilities was put at £175,000.

Three years later, the refurbishment had cost over £400,000. The council had to take out a second loan on top of its inital £300,000 and the Council Tax went up by 61 per cent. Amidst angry protests by taxpayers over the next two years, the town clerk took early retirement and most of the council had either resigned or were voted out.

It was almost certainly the blackest period in the history of local government in Malvern.

So it is with some concern that we hear that Bromyard Town Council plans to spend £320,000 just on the purchase of its two historic buildings, with no estimate as yet of the cost of conversion.

History tells us that local authorities are not good managers of these kind of building projects, witness the new Scottish Parliament.

We would urge Bromyard to heed the lesson. Don't say you weren't warned!