WORCESTER News readers have reacted to the news that the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust will not receive any contributions from developers looking to build more than 4,800 new homes around the city.

Councillors voted unanimously to reject the application, saying the trust should have asked for the money sooner.

The trust said that the development would put a strain on acute services in the region and that developers should contribute £7.7 million to offset the rise in demand the new houses would cause.

On the Worcester News Facebook page, Jenna Gale said: "Let’s hope the people who have rejected it never find them selves needing A&E and the help from Drs and nurses anytime soon."

John Foster wrote: "The hospital will end up collapsing under the pressure, they keep closing other hospitals and building more houses and just expecting Worcester to deal with it, but with no extra resources.

"One step closer to privatisation."

Dawn Turner said: "To play devils advocate: It depends what the proposal requested.

"If the funding was for the frontline staff then there is a problem.

"If the proposal was to line the pockets of the pen pushers again then the council was in their right to turn it down."

Jenny Watkins wrote: "Surely this was for the people of Worcester to vote on, not the councillors...

"Shame on them for not considering the impact this will have on the lives of the local people and surrounding community who will be the ones to suffer the most."

When the decision was made, a trust spokesman said: "We are extremely disappointed by this decision and the serious implications it has for our staff who are working so hard to provide safe, high quality patient care.

“We are going to take advice on what further options are available to us. Until we have that advice, we do not want to comment further.”