A £4.5 million house improvement programme, based on the "worst first", was expected to get the go-ahead from Bradford councillors today.

It will be spent over the next three years on windows, doors and roofs of 270 older, privately-owned homes in Manningham, West Bowling, and Lawkholme in Keighley.

The improvements will be on whole blocks of homes, rather than individually.

But today's decision by the council's executive committee will bring both winners and losers as the authority continues to breathe new life into twilight streets.

The areas expected to be chosen include New Cross Street, Woodroyd Road, Ryan Street, Leyburn Street and Woodlands Street.

In all cases where schemes are being proposed discussions have taken place with ward members and residents.

But families in Hollings Road, Manningham, were being told they have been removed from the programme because of the cost.

Surveys on house numbers 241 to 303 have shown there is land settlement which will mean extensive under-pinning with the removal and reinstatement of cellars.

Officers are expected to tell the committee that residents have been told of the problems but none has made any representations. The officers say the houses are not dangerous in spite of the ground conditions.

City environmental protection officer Trevor Morris says in a report to members: "Given the extensive costs of what are small back-to-back properties, it is recommended that this scheme be removed from the programme."

He was also recommending that a block of houses between 105 and 139 Woodroyd Road, West Bowling, should be removed.

Mr Morris says 11 of the 18 properties are empty, with some boarded up, and only a small number of the residents left appeared to be interested. Owners of a wide range of properties across Manningham have also asked for inclusion but have not been accepted as suitable for the scheme.

The council's executive member for health and housing, Councillor Kris Hopkins said: "Carrying out repair schemes on groups of houses is one of the best ways of improving run-down homes because it has a greater impact on the regeneration of an area than carrying out work at odd houses over a larger area.''

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