WEYMOUTH and Portland will keep its voice on public transport issues.

But the Weymouth and Portland Public Transport Forum will be severing its ties with the borough council and instead operate under another umbrella.

Members of the forum were adamant it should continue after hearing that the council was withdrawing its support from their work.

Now they must decide where they can meet because a council committee room will no longer be available.

The forum meets every few months and has representatives from rail and bus companies, taxi drivers, access groups and the police.

A local government initiative aims to cut the number of focus groups from councils in favour of running larger, more general meetings to engage the wider public.

New neighbourhood forums will be established as part of this process, council democratic services manager Jayne Vallance told the forum.

But she said it meant the council could no longer provide a secretary, circulate minutes and papers and provide a venue for groups like the forum.

Forum chairman Councillor Les Ames said: "This group has been such a success over the past three years or so and does a great service to the people of this borough.

"Anyone can attend and get direct answers on a range of issues and I think it would be a retrograde step to stop it.

"Personally I would like to see it continue, albeit in another form."

Michel Hooper-Immins, representing Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, said he was 'appalled' at the plan to close the forum down, adding: "There should be more consultation in this town, not less."

But Coun Peter Farrell defended the action, saying: "There's a misconception that the council wants to wash its hands of these groups but it's not the case, it's about doing it yourself."

The forum agreed it should investigate becoming a transport action group under the umbrella of the Weymouth and Portland Partnership, which is made up of groups from across the public, private and voluntary sectors.