"ALL animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," wrote the great author and social commentator George Orwell in Animal Farm. There was a man whose understanding of the horrors of bureaucracy was second to none!

When it comes to the issue of its annual car park tickets, the same is true of Malvern Hills District Council, there are "essential" users and then there is everyone else.

By the simple device of adding a sticky red star to their ticket, the "essential" user is able to avoid a fine for parking in short stay car parks, which would apply to the rest of us.

We are indebted to town trader Lee Harrison for testing this theory out. Having noticed cars parked all day in the Grange Road car park displaying the annual pass, which states "for use in long stay car parks only" they tried the same thing. The result, an instant ticket!

The council's response to this has been a little inconsistent. On one hand Mr Harrison had his fine rescinded and was told council staff would be reminded they were not to use short stay spaces, on the other the council's head of environmental services Ivor Pumfery was happy to defend the practice.

Clearly parking wardens have been told to ignore cars parked in short stay spaces with a red sticker on their pass.

So why does it matter? Our letters pages regularly carry angry letters from visitors to the town, with tales of how they were a couple of minutes' late back to the car and got a ticket and an unsympathetic hearing from the council, what would say think of this?

The council has ample parking without needing valuable short stay spaces.