THE Citizens Advice Bur-eau will have to wait until next year to find out whether Malvern Hills District Council will continue to fund it.

The council has provided help with accommodation and support to the service, based at The Grange, for the last five years, but the funding agreement will expire next year.

At a meeting on Tuesday night, the council's executive board considered renewing the agreement for three years but decided that a formal decision should wait until the impending budget had been decided.

Coun Clive Smith, said: "We are just coming into the start of the budget for next year. An awful lot of worthy bids are competing and I would hope as portfolio holder for community wellbeing, we will support the CAB. But it would be premature to do this tonight. We should defer it until later in the budget so we can weigh up our priorities."

Councillors decided that they would support the CAB in principle, but that the final decision would be subject to budget considerations.

Coun Graham Myatt said it was important to emphasise the CABs good work.

He said: "The CAB has provided a valuable service in the community for many years. This council values it accordingly and I hope we will do so in the future."