ALMOST 4,000 people have signed an on-line petition calling on Bradford Council to open up its empty buildings to shelter the city's homeless this winter.

Mother-of-three Lindsey Prudhoe started the petition after hearing that Manchester Council was looking in to opening its viable vacant buildings as soon as possible.

The 44-year-old, of Low Ash Drive, Wrose, said in a plea to top council executives, including Council leader David Green and deputy leader Val Slater, that it was inhumane and inexcusable to have so many empty buildings.

Since she put her petition up on 38degrees.org.uk, more towns and cities including Leeds, Leicester, Sheffield and Kings Lynn have followed, calling on their own local authorities to open up their vacant buildings.

"If Manchester Council can put its neck out then so can Bradford," said Ms Prudhoe after forwarding the petition on to senior councillors.

Ms Prudhoe, who has slept rough in the city twice to raise money for Bradford's Inn Churches project offering night shelter to some of the city's most vulnerable when temperatures plummet, said: "While that project provides a fantastic service, they only help a fraction of our homeless - there just isn't the room.

"I cannot imagine sleeping rough in driving, biting winds, snow, ice and winter rain. It's inhumane. It's also inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings. I'm not asking for permanent shelters; just somewhere warm and dry for our homeless to sleep in winter."

But Councillor Slater, whose portfolio includes housing, said although she appreciated the sentiment behind Ms Prudhoe's petition the situation was more complicated.

She said: “Each year the council carries out an official rough sleeper count for the Department of Communities and Local Government. Last year it was calculated that there were on average 12 people sleeping rough across the district on a typical night.

“The key is providing accommodation in partnership with others that actually meets people’s needs and gives them the necessary support that they need to find and remain in suitable accommodation.

"We have a good level of provision within Bradford and continue to work with partners in the faith and voluntary sector to meet the needs of those who are homeless. It is not as simple as putting people who sleep rough into empty buildings without supporting their additional needs.”

Juli Thompson, of Inn Churches, said: "The difficult thing is that the homeless need support as well as just a roof. Some of their issues are really complex and having a home is just a part of that. Hope Housing and Inn Churches have, for the last 7 years been working with the homeless with a variety of interventions and solutions. There is no one fix way to stop homelessness."