BRADFORD Council has said it would not be releasing a list of every long term empty property in the District due to crime concerns.

A Freedom of Information request was recently submitted to Bradford Council asking for a list of every property in the District that had been empty for more than 24 months, including the address as well as details of the owner and what Council Tax band the property was in.

But the Council has now responded to say it would not publish the list - arguing that providing a public list of empty properties would effectively be a shopping list for criminals.

Officers refer to a legal case against Camden Council in 2011, when a similar request was asked of that authority.

Over 7,800 empty properties in Bradford District - including 500 that have been empty for over five years

A tribunal found that the public interest in providing a list of empty properties was outweighed by the fact that such a list would make those properties a target for crime.

The Bradford Council response said: "The Tribunal confirmed that the disclosure of information would be likely to give rise to criminal activity, not only in terms of theft from the vacant properties and the activities of individuals who may decide to squat in vacant properties, but also the potential further criminal activity that is sometimes associated with squatting, such as drug use.

"Whilst Bradford Council accepts that the purpose of a request may be for research purposes or similar general use, a release under FOI puts the information into the public domain for anyone to use – it is not restricted to the requester."