A COUNTY council organisation responsible for managing the roads has been attacked for a "lack of interest and support" in helping Worcester City Council.

The planning committee, which decides on any new developments in Worcester, has criticised the old Highways Partnership Unit for not coming along to meetings or providing enough feedback. The chairman of planning in Worcester said the unit is "not providing the service it should" in helping decide planning applications.

The Highways Partnership Unit makes recommendations on how any new developments would affect the roads and the likely impact it has on traffic. It is consulted on any new projects in the city and is required to state whether it has any objections to a proposal before it is debated in public. It was actually disbanded recently - but still exists in the form of individual engineers, who are required to pass on advice to the city council.

It was criticised heavily after not responding to a recent request from the city council to have more input into plans for a bookies in Ambleside Drive, Warndon.

Coun Rowden said: "At the end of the day, the Highways Partnership Unit is not providing the service it should be providing."

Coun Mike Layland said: "We used to have someone attend these meetings to answer questions, but we've had a few occasions recently when they haven't helped us.

"They don't seem to be showing any interest or concern. We've have a very good relationship with the unit and have been lucky to have that care and attention in the past, but we don't seem to get that service anymore."

A spokesman for Worc-estershire County Council said: "We are currently restructuring our highways operation to ensure it is run even more efficiently and better serves residents. It is inevitable that we will not be able to carry out all the functions as well as we'd like during this time and apologise for any inconvenience."