A BAN on a leading member of Malvern Hills District Council, imposed by the council's chief executive, has now been lifted.

Cllr Clive Smith, who represents the Link ward on the council, told the Gazette last week that chief executive Chris Bocock had banned him from the council buildings and suspended his council email account.

But on Friday, Cllr Smith said that the ban had been rescinded. He said: "I'm glad this has been resolved and I can now continue to represent my ward properly.

"I would rather it had been resolved without making it public, but it has been resolved, and I hope we can all now move on."

Cllr Smith said that the ban had arisen from an incident at a council meeting, when a question he had been due to ask had been disallowed.

Mr Bocock said that staff had been affected by Cllr Smith's behaviour, but declined to go into further detail.

Cllr Julian Roskams, leader of the Democratic group that Cllr Smith belongs to, said he had made the ban public after attempts to resolve the dispute behind the scenes failed.

Council spokeswoman Emma Wild confirmed this week that the matter had been resolved and said the council is making no further comment at this stage.