A troubled housing board in Bradford has suffered its third resignation with complaints being made about outstanding repairs and extravagant spending.

Tory Bradford councillor Janet Tyne resigned from the South Bradford Housing Trust in March followed by community worker Mike Stocks who quit last week.

Now Bradford Tory councillor Robert Reynolds has stepped down this week.

South Bradford is one of six area boards operating under the umbrella main board of Bradford Community Trust which took over Bradford's 25,000 Council houses last year.

Claims made by the quitting directors included:

l Outstanding repairs while big schemes are being carried out elsewhere.

l The Trust is run by highly-paid executives while the boards are just figureheads.

l The management "squandered" money at a big bash at a top hotel attended by well over 1,000 people to celebrate the Trust's first birthday.

Today the Trust's chief executive Geraldine Howley defended the birthday party at the Hilton Hotel saying it was a one-off event to thank people for their work. She said it cost about £6,000 and raised a "substantial amount" for a homeless charity. Mrs Howley said the birthday event was attended by more than 1,000 staff and guests and was paid for from the management budget

She said: "We chose the Hilton Hotel at Bradford because it was the only one which could accommodate such a large number of people and it was a buffet where people had to buy their own drinks."

Defending the Trust board, chairman Councillor Martin Smith said: "I have been concerned about this disruptive element of South Bradford board and have the support of the chairmen of the other boards."

The resignations leave the Bradford South board, which started out with 15 members, down to eight because other people have left for different reasons.

Today the group's director of corporate services Robin Hodgins said the board had enough members to continue to operate and said new independent members would soon join.

Mr Hodgins said people who wanted to become tenant directors would this time receive special briefings about the difference between being a director on an independent organisation with a huge budget and sitting on a community group because he believed some tenants had found it difficult to make the transition.

And he said the trust was up to date in its repairs programme and on course with improvements after slight slippage.

Coun Reynolds wrote in his resignation letter to Coun Smith that he would not have voted in favour of the transfer as a member of the local authority if he had realised "unaccountable" former council officers on big salaries would be running it. "Indeed, I am ashamed to have done so and will apologise to the tenants of Bradford," he wrote.

Mr Stocks, founder and chairman of the Community Association for the Regeneration of Estates said he appreciated the support of Coun Reynolds.

He said he would continue to work in the community to get a better deal for places.

"At the beginning of the year we had a full board and there are now seven vacancies. Surely this is a very clear indication that there is something very wrong with the Trust," said Mr Stocks.

Mrs Tyne said in her resignation letter: "As a tenant board member, I have been keen let the tenants know that at I care. But tenants are unhappy and tell me all the time."

She asked how members could go to the birthday while tenants were waiting for repairs and improvements.