WORCESTER City Council chiefs have taken a dramatic U-turn on their decision to close the Guildhall's doors to the public.

The historic building's grand entrance doors were closed last week following a £650,000 programme to provide access for the disabled.

They were due to be only open for dignitaries arriving at civic events, with everyone else having to enter from a door in the north wing.

But the move caused an outcry among visitors as well as city mayor Councillor Aubrey Tarbuck and councillor David Clark.

Now the front doors have once again been flung open to the public and Worcester MP Mike Foster has said he is delighted, praising the Worcester News for its part in flagging the issue up.

He also hit out at the confusion surrounding the move in which he said councillors claimed to know nothing about it, yet leader Councillor Stephen Inman said they had voted for it.

He added: "The last few days have been quite bizarre - resulting in the Mayor rightly saying the doors to the Guildhall should be open to the public.

"I supported his call - it is our Guildhall, we pay the upkeep and should have access through the main doors, not just a side entrance.

"My only worry is if they act so incompetently over a door being opened, what hope is there for the big decisions they have to make such as council tax and planning for our city."

Organisers of an annual bazaar in the Guildhall - raising cash for St Paul's Hostel in Tallow Hall - also complained they had lost money as people did not know how to enter the building.

Coun Tarbuck said: "I'm very thrilled they've opened again because that's what the public wanted.

"The users of the hall were annoyed at having to use the other entrance and I received lots of calls about it."

But deputy city council leader Simon Geraghty said members of its Guildhall working party had voted on the move some time ago but must have forgotten.

He said: "The bottom line in all of this is Mike Foster's accusations of us being incompetent are galling and stick in the throat a bit - these decisions were made by council members and it was a cross-party decision.

"There was a worthwhile reason in terms of making one common entrance as we have to take security more seriously these days. But we've listened to what people have said and the doors will remain open."