Bradford has become a national classroom - showing local authorities across the country how it deals with housing issues.

And today the Council earned praise from a national housing officer for setting good examples and promoting innovative schemes.

Now 400 delegates from the first national housing conference to be held by the Local Government Association will go back to their own authorities to tell them what Bradford Council is doing.

LGA housing policy officer Jeanette York said: "Bradford is a good classroom because we were able to look at a range of solutions to different problems and how it has been done in an innovative way."

A study tour of Manningham showed the delegates the housing problems of some ethnic minority households and the steps taken in a bid to solve them.

Delegates examined the changing face of housing over the last century with a visit to Saltaire.

In Keighley they visited the Homekey supported housing scheme for single young people and the Council's pioneering scheme to turn empty space above shops into homes.

At Holme Wood they saw how the estate's multi-million regeneration scheme was more than bricks and mortar and also provided training, jobs and community schemes.

In Allerton they were shown how serious problems developed in the once desirable estate, and the major improvements now taking place.

Miss York said: "We wanted a venue which shows examples of good practice. It is all credit to Bradford Council for what it has done."

Another Council project was in the national spotlight today - the last day of the conference.

Its ground-breaking estate mediation service, where teams try to stop wars between neighbours before they happen, was featuring in a series of workshops at City Hall.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.