CONGESTION charging must be considered for Worcester as part of a viable bid for Government cash to help deliver transport improvements for the city.

The strong message came from Councillor Derek Prodger at a meeting of Worcestershire County Coun-cil's cabinet yesterday.

The Department for Transport has invited highways authorities to apply for Transport Innovation Funds money (TIF) to help deliver improvements.

But the county council's proposal to charge motorists for driving through the city centre - which was revealed in Saturday's Worcester News - came under fire from city MP Mike Foster who said it would hit tourism and also severely affect residents.

However, speaking at yesterday's meeting, Councillor Prodger, cabinet member for the environment, said it was only one of several transport measures being explored by the county council and was merely a proposal.

Other suggestions include making the Worcester Southern Link Road a dual carriageway and a potential new road being created to form a Worcester north-west bypass. Coun Prodger added: "There is nothing wrong with a study on the congestion charging if Worcester continues with its traffic problems - it doesn't necessarily mean that we would implement it and we won't implement it if the city of Worcester does not want it. If we do not put a TIF bid in covering all of the options then we will fail and there will be a charge for the tax-payer for that so we need to consider this."

Cabinet members agreed to the proposal to submit a TIF bid to the Government for the study into the wider implications of transport measures for Worcester. The Department of Transport's offer effectively gives the local authority access to a funding pot worth a minimum of £200m a year from 2008/09.