A NEW housing development team is being set up to get homes and industrial sites built more quickly in the district.

Bradford Council will spend £750,000 on boosting the local economy, including setting up the team as part of its strategy to increase the number of homes in the district paying council tax and the number of firms paying business rates, today's meeting of the Council's Executive heard.

Speaking afterwards to the Telegraph & Argus, Labour Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said this would not increase the district’s existing housebuilding targets but would instead speed up the development process, especially on brownfield sites.

But opposition Conservative leader, Councillor Simon Cooke, said it was bad news for those concerned about the impact of housebuilding on communities.

He said: “It’s got nothing to do with Bradford’s housing need. It’s got everything to do with whether we can build lots of big houses in places like Ilkley, Silsden or Wilsden, to get loads more council tax in."