Since it had appeared that Malvern Hills District Council needed reminding of the value placed upon Malvern Theatres by the local community, then the Forum meeting arranged by the Gazette should have left councillors in no doubt that this priceless cultural resource, which caters so successfully for a wide cross-section of the population of the district and beyond, is one of which we should all be proud. In spite of the council's best efforts to undermine the theatres by cuts in grant, what Nic Lloyd and his team have achieved is a remarkable success.

It is a pity so few councillors could be bothered to attend the meeting to hear and see for themselves the pride in and loyalty to the theatres felt so passionately by so many people. The belated announcement of a consultation exercise before September's council meeting, when the future of the theatres will be decided, does not compensate for the unforgivable secrecy of the negotiations with the Ambassador Theatre Group extending over a period of nearly two years. Absolutely nothing councillors or officers have done so far inspires confidence in them as worthy of the responsibility they have to safeguard the uniqueness of a theatre complex that might be envied by more enlightened councils elsewhere in the country.

We must now look to the full council to redeem itself in the eyes of the electorate by rejecting any notion of handing our Malvern Theatres over to a predatory commercial management. Instead, we look to our elected representatives to support the present management to the hilt over the coming years and to secure the theatres' long-term financial future by whatever formula is judged best by all interested parties. Councillors might bear in mind that at this moment, and in the light of the their performance to date, many of us would like to hand the district council over on a plate to Amb-assadors, perhaps they deserve each other, though I doubt whether the "Malvern Political Players", an unregarded amateur group, would ever attract appreciative audiences or enthusiastic reviews in the way that Malvern Theatres regularly do, and did again on July 24. There should be no conditions attached to this offer to ATG, except that we would not wish members of MHDC returned at the time of the next election.

Eric H Jones, Bamford Close Guarlford.