The private bill, which looks to reform how the hills are managed, has reached the committee stage in the upper house. A Lords select committee met last week to decide which petitioners have the “right to be heard”. Over three days, several petitioners made their cases to the committee but only Jeremy Owenson, deputy leader of Malvern Hills District Council, was told he could come back to speak on his petition. The Malvern Hills Trust, which put forward the bill, had not challenged the right of these petitioners to be heard. “There are people prepared to make the counter case.”John Michael, chair of the board of the Malvern Hills Trust, said: “The House of Lords has now started the select committee hearing for the Malvern Hills Bill.