CONSERVATIVE Party Leader, Iain Duncan-Smith, has promised the Advertiser he will look-into reasons why Tenbury Wells has been left out of Advantage West Midlands cash distribution plans under the Market Towns Initiative scheme.

Accompanied by MP Bill Wiggin on an informal walkabout through town last week, local traders and townspeople tackled him on issues over rural transport, increasing community charges and closure of local post offices.

Informed that Tenbury Wells had not figured in the hand-out list from Advantage West Midlands' Market Initiatives, Mr Duncan Smith said: "I shall be looking into this and taking it up with the appropriate authority to see why it has been left out of plans."

Malvern Hills District Council economic development officer Adrian Field has also told the Advertiser he will be pursuing the omission. After chatting to people outside the post office, he discussed problems arising from new government legislation on pensions and benefit payments with joint postmasters Susan and Malcolm Chase.

Mr Chase said: "He was surprised to know that we rely entirely on post office transactions for income and don't sell anything else like newspapers, stationary or sweets. Whether he can do anything about it, is another matter but I was impressed with the MP's response, and he is welcome to come and discuss it with us."

Mr Duncan-Smith said he was impressed with Tenbury's potential for tourism. However, he felt rural transport issues needed to be addressed. He told the Advertiser: "After six years of promises, it is still not good enough. Rural communities need links to regular, efficient rural transport to get them to hospital appointments and important local services like the few remaining post offices.

Chamber of Trade chairman, Sadie Chalkley, from family-owned Banfields hardware shop, spoke to Mr Duncan-Smith about too much red tape restricting small businesses.

She told him: "Like most small businesses, we are suffering from growing red tape like health and safety regulations, employers liability and piles of paper work." Over staying his visit by 30 minutes, Mr Duncan-Smith left for Hereford.