MALVERN Hills District Council has signed up to a scheme that it hopes could save hard-pressed Tenbury residents hundreds of pounds on their gas and electricity bills.

The council is signing up for a pilot scheme called the Big Community Switch, which will see several councils join together to give them strength in numbers when negotiating with energy suppliers.

Residents in participating areas will be able to sign up for the scheme in the coming weeks and then, at the end of the registration period, a “reverse auction”

will be held with suppliers.

The one that offers the lowest prices will win the right to offer energy supply and price deals to participants.

The Big Community Switch will be starting on February 15 and the auction will take place on April 9.

David Rolls, MHDC’s performance and policy manager, said: “We have got some feedback from other councils that have used this system and there has been an average saving of about £250 per household.”