City Hall tourism bosses have been accused of shunning a high-powered group dedicated to putting Keighley and Haworth on the map.

The astonishing attack came this week as Bradford Council launched a public consultation exercise in readiness for developing a new tourism strategy for the district.

Furious members of the Bront Country Partnership (BCP), which markets this area, claim the group's work has been ignored by the local authority.

The BCP - formerly the Keighley and Haworth Tourism Management Group - comprises representatives of over a dozen organisations, including leading tourist attractions, retailers and service providers.

Several members on Monday attended the first of three workshops organised by Bradford Council, in partnership with the Yorkshire Tourist Board, to gain people's views on the future of tourism in the district.

The aim is to devise a blueprint to form part of Bradford's European Capital of Culture bid for 2008.

BCP treasurer Graham Mitchell - who was among those at the workshop - said: "Virtually everyone present in our group released pent up frustration about the lack of support and direction from Bradford Council. It has lost credibility, and we have lost faith.

"Some of us have sat with the marketing officer at Bradford twice in 18 months and told him we have a tourism strategy, but it has not been taken up. We said 'we know what we are doing, franchise the strategy to us and give us support'.

"We feel we have been by-passed and that the BCP's very existence has been ignored.

"Our partnership should play a major part in any future strategy.

"Hopefully at the end of the day something positive will come out of this."

His comments were echoed by fellow BCP member Chris Bradford, of the Old White Lion Hotel, Haworth. He said there was frustration that council tourism chief Owen Williams - the director of marketing and communications - did not attend the workshop. Yorkshire Tourist Board chief executive David Andrews was there.

And another member, Phil Lister, said the whole process appeared to be "very hastily scrambled together" because of the Capital of Culture bid.

Haworth Tourist Information Centre manager Tricia Tillotson - also a BCP member - said it was important to start with a clean slate.

She told colleagues: "I can understand people's frustrations, but we have got to forget the past and look at this as a new beginning.

"The idea of the workshop was for everyone to share their views and let them be heard.

"There was a lot of positive feedback, and comments will now be taken into account in the development of the strategy.

"What we have said is being taken on board. This is the start of exciting things and there are some wonderful opportunities ahead."

BCP chairman Gary Lowthian said that despite the concerns, it was important to use the development of a district strategy and derive maximum benefit.

He said: "We should embrace this as an opportunity and try hard to use it to our advantage.

"At least we are actively feeding into the Bradford strategy and the more we can feed into it, the better. Let's make the most of it."

Mr Williams told the Keighley News that Tricia Tillotson was at the workshop on his behalf, and reported back to him.

He said: "I put a lot of faith in Tricia and have regular dialogue with her. She is working on the ground and understands a lot of the local issues - I trust her to let me know what is going on.

"This consultation process represents a fantastic opportunity for people to be involved in helping to formulate the tourism strategy - for Haworth and the whole district - and I would urge all interested parties to grasp that chance."