THE leader of Worcestershire's Liberal Democrats says council chiefs are not doing enough to combat congestion created by the county's housing surge.

Councillor Liz Tucker said too much cash has been squandered on fancy "economic development" style projects at the expense of better roads.

The politician says more attention must be paid towards the "consequences" of new house building in the county, claiming councils cannot pin the blame on developers.

It comes at a time when the South Worcestershire Development Plan earmarks land for 28,370 properties by 2030 across Worcester, Malvern and Wychavon, with around two thirds yet to be built.

As a reward for allowing more properties to be erected around the country, the Government hands out a cash sweetener known as the New Homes Bonus.

Since it was launched in 2011 Worcestershire County Council has received £11.8 million from the fund, with bosses saying all but £600,000 has yet to be allocated on projects.

Councillor Tucker said with developers eager to build more homes, it is vital more of the fund is earmarked to better infrastructure.

"I am concerned - as I understand it the majority of the money has been spent on economic development projects," she said.

"I do feel more of it should be allocated to the consequences of the growth.

"We have a huge demand for taking account of the consequences of housing growth, most of which can't be pinned on the developer."

The Conservative leadership insists much of the cash has been earmarked on better infrastructure, including almost £1 million on traffic studies for towns like Evesham and Malvern.

More than £1.7 million has also gone on flooding alleviation across Worcestershire.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, the leader, said: "The majority of the spending is in fact for infrastructure projects, as opposed to purely economic ones.

"It does include just shy of £1 million for transport planning studies.

"Things like that, which make sure we're minimising and mitigating the impact of growth is obviously important."

He has also urged caution on people believing the New Homes Bonus will carry on forever, with the Government currently consulting with towns halls about its future as part of a council funding shake-up.

"The amount we receive in future years is not guaranteed, so I'd really caution people against assuming these kind of figures can go on," he said.

The council is also currently spending more than £41 million dualling most of the Southern Link Road, which will enlarge the section from Whittington island all the way to St Peter's.

A bid for funding to dual the Carrington Bridge, costing around £70 million, is with the Government.

Around 20 per cent of New Homes Bonus cash in Worcestershire goes to County Hall, with the rest handed to the district councils.