I am writing to express my serious concern about child safeguarding in Bewdley.

At a time where child abuse is making headline news and where town councils such as Rotherham have been shown to be complicit in dreadful crimes against children, I read with alarm the fact that Bewdley Town Council has rejected calls for its councillors to be subject to mandatory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

This matter was raised in the September Council Meeting and formally rejected during the October meeting, apparently following advice from the town clerk (Refer to items 7965 and 7985 from the above meeting minutes).

Surely, given the obvious interaction and access to local children, the minimum checks that should be carried out are those of the DBS system.

Surely town councillors should be enthusiastic about undertaking DBS checking and implementing rigorous checks.

The fact that they have chosen not to do so is not leading by example and our children deserve better.

We, towns parents, are entitled to know that the safety of our children is the absolute priority of the town council, and that the councillors themselves have been properly vetted before they come into contact with them.

Lip service is no longer good enough; we want rigorous procedures in place and would remind them that we pay for the town council expenses.

K Brown Bewdley