THE project to pull down Jacob's Well and build a new public sector hub has sparked a political row.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Council's Liberal Democrat group, said the scheme was "shameful" when the district was crying out for new schools.

She said: "Because we haven't got a chief executive, we have got a Labour group out of control, that has lost all sense of priority, and they are building offices not schools."

She also questioned why Bradford Council had bought and refurbished Jacob's Well at great expense if this had been the plan.

Meanwhile, Councillor Glen Miller, leader of the Conservative group, said the scheme, coming just a day after a Council Tax rise, was "a slap in the face to the residents of the district".

He added: "We heard in the Council chamber last night, Dave Green talking about cuts, cuts, cuts, and that they have no money.

"To then, the following day, see his smiling face announcing a big expansion of offices - it just shows the total hypocrisy of the group controlling this Council."

Cllr Miller accused the authority of "secrecy", saying the first he had heard of the major plans was reading them in the press.

He said: "For us to have spent the best part of three hours yesterday discussing the budget, and on the cost of this, not one person mentioned it. It just seems very strange."

And Councillor Adrian Naylor (Ind, Craven) said he couldn't believe the project hadn't been mentioned at all in the budget discussions.

But Council leader David Green said he found their comments "pathetic and insulting".

He said the Council was investing no money in the £20 million project, as it was privately financed, which was one reason it hadn't been discussed in the budget process.

Cllr Green said there had also been commercial confidentiality issues, but said all political leaders had been offered briefings on the plan.

He said: "I have had conversations in the past with Cllr Sunderland where she talked about looking to take the opportunity to bring more Government jobs into Bradford.

"Now we are doing it, she is claiming that we are out of control. I'm afraid that sort of comment is just bizarre and pathetic."

Cllr Green added that the Council had already recouped the cost of investing in Jacob's Well, as it had been a short-to-medium term 'invest to save' project.