Local Government minister Hilary Armstrong will be in Bradford tomorrow for a major national housing conference.

Bradford is in the spotlight as housing chiefs from across the country discuss plans and policies at a top-level event which runs from today until Thursday at the Stakis Hotel.

The National Local Government Association Housing Conference includes workshops in which housing chiefs will be taken to different parts of Bradford.

The delegates will study housing issues in Saltaire, Manningham, Keighley, Allerton and Holme Wood.

It is the second major conference to be hosted in the city in a month and follows the North of England Education Conference in January.

Other speakers were due to include Helen Cope, chairman of the National Housing Federation, and Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Flyde, chairman of the Housing Corporation. Bradford Council leader Councillor John Ryan said: "It is a major coup for the City to host two such prestigious conferences.

"Not only does it generate welcome business in the city, it helps keep Bradford on the political map. It gives us an excellent opportunity to show all that is best about the place and to make our voice heard in a very direct way at national level."

Councillor Barry Midwood, chairman of the Council's housing and environment committee, said: "All the major issues we face, such as implementing the Government's Best Value initiatives, tackling disrepair and dealing with anti-social behaviour.

"We want to be at the cutting edge of housing policy and hosting this conference puts us right at the centre of the debates which are taking place."

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