Labour councillors were "superglued to their chairs" in a vital vote which could end 90 years of council housing in Bradford, Prime Minister Tony Blair has been told.

The Community Association for Regeneration of Estates (CARE) has protested to Mr Blair that the Labour group has "taken its bat home" after former leader Ian Greenwood lost control of the Council to Conservative Margaret Eaton at the last election.

The Labour group in Bradford is refusing to accept any positions of power after losing control of the Council after ten years in charge.

The executive committee agreed to continue consulting tenants about their homes and to submit a case to the Government for transferring them to new local housing associations.

The Government expects large numbers of councils to apply for permission to off-load their houses, and each application will be subject to a ballot of tenants.

The Labour group claims the only option which has been explored is house transfer, and says tenants should receive full details about other options.

Now CARE chairman Mike Stocks fears the Government may not accept the application because it does not appear to have the whole-hearted support of the Labour group.

He told Mr Blair: "Abstaining is akin to voting against without having the courage to make a decision. My real fear is that we in Bradford will miss out on regeneration unless the Labour party take their backsides off the fence they appeared to be superglued to."

But Coun Greenwood denied his group was sitting on the fence and said: "We are saying that all options should be put clearly to the tenants and they haven't been."

Executive member for housing Coun Kris Hopkins said the Council would produce a model association scheme the tenants could vote on, and he added: "If they don't think it's right they can vote against it."

The Council is seeking a way forward for its estates in the face of a £170 million bill for improvements which it says it cannot afford.