Families in the Park Lane area of Little Horton - the second most deprived council ward in England - could see their neighbourhood boosted by a £50 million revamp.

Bradford Council, which has been selected as one of 17 'pathfinder' authorities in the country to pilot the Government's New Deal for Communities Scheme, will bid for between £20 million and £50 million from an £800 million pot.

It is understood the Park Lane area was chosen to be the focus of the council's bid after a stormy meeting of the Council's ruling Labour group.

Councillor Dave Green (Lab, Odsal) chairman of the council's regeneration committee, said: "It was one of the most incredibly hard decisions the Labour Group has ever had to make. Everybody had a really tough time making that final decision.

"I wouldn't argue that Park Lane was more deserving than, say, Ravenscliffe or any other part of the district, but a choice had to be made.

"One of the problems of these major regeneration schemes is that you are pitting one deprived community against another."

The Park Lane area is dominated by local authority tower blocks.

In the past many of the flats have proved difficult to let and suffer from a transient population. Surveys found residents felt the area lacked amenities.

If the Council wins the New Deal cash, it will be used to improve job prospects, stimulate investment in buildings and people, improve neighbourhood management and the delivery of services.

The details of exactly how and where the money would be spent would be decided in consultation with local people, said Councillor Green said.

Officers would work on existing plans to regenerate Park Lane that have been on the drawing board for two years. The boundaries of the specific area covered by the bid were also still to be finalised.

If the plan is approved by the Council's policy and resources committee and Bradford Congress, the bid will be formally submitted to the Government on December 14.

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