A DECISION over whether Worcester should make a UK City of Culture bid will not be taken until after October, it has emerged.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, the city council's leader, says he is waiting on officers to do more investigative work around the costs before it goes any further.

As your Worcester News first revealed in April last year, the old Labour administration raised the suggestion of making a bid for 2021 in an attempt to give the city huge national exposure.

The idea has been slowly gathering momentum, backed by the likes of Worcester MP Robin Walker and former Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, but no decision has yet been made.

After a meeting with more than 75 city organisations involved in sport, leisure, retail and cultural endeavours earlier this year, the city council has been working on the implications of a bid.

That work is not set to wrap up until the autumn, and more time will be needed beyond that before the Conservative leadership makes a commitment.

Councillor Geraghty said: "We've very much encouraged people to work together on this because we really need to get to the heart of what level of resources are available and needed to make a bid.

"I suspect it will be September or October before we get a report back."

The award is dished out every four years and the last winner is Hull, which is the City of Culture for 2017.

A bid would need to be made by Worcester in 2017 in order to compete for the 2021 crown, with the city warned to expect stiff competition given the exposure it offers.

Hull is estimated to benefit from at least £60 million of new economic activity in 2017, and millions more from tourism in the 16 months that remain.

In the months that have passed since it was first suggested Cardiff, Aberdeen, Coventry, Sunderland, Paisley and Southend have chucked their hats into the ring for 2021.

Councillor Adrian Gregson, the leader of the opposition Labour group, said: "There is still a lot of enthusiasm and desire in the city around this, but it really needs someone to get behind it and push it.

"He was given a message and a remit to push on with this but it's obviously not a priority - there is still an opportunity but time is running out.

"It's symptomatic of the visionless, myopic approach approach this administration has to anything."