Bradford Council staff will ballot next week on industrial action which could cripple services across the district by the end of January.

Union officials are sending out voting forms to computer staff after management failed to come forward with further proposals. The workers have asked for secondment rather than transfer to a private partner expected to take over the authority's information technology services next year.

Trade unions Unison and the GMB said today they had held off until Christmas Eve to give the Council the opportunity to reconsider its position on the employment model to be adopted for staff when the partner is brought in.

The unions said since the project was proposed two years ago the staff had made it clear they were unhappy about an outright transfer - because they feared their conditions of employment and pensions could be unfav-ourably affected.

The 100 staff deal with computer services across the authority. Services affected could include the collection of council tax, payment of benefits and telephone and e-mail communications.

Gurjit Singh, chairman of Bradford Unison, said: "We are disappointed that after allowing the Council a further three weeks to find a way forward and meet the requests of the staff, it has offered no reassurances or guarantees as to the future employment model for ICT staff. This unfortunately has left the trade unions with no options but to ballot for industrial action."

Unison branch officer Patrick Kerry said: "It has become clear in the last month that the Council does not fully understand what the staff are requesting.

"The service is not a failing service, it has had a lack of financial resources over a number of years.

"We will try to make sure any action taken will not affect vulnerable members of the public."

The Council is shortlisting applicants to deliver services from April in a deal valued at more than £100 million over the next ten years.

The partnership would be similar to the arrangement with education Bradford which has resulted in large investments in that service since the transfer.

Councillor Simon Cooke, executive member for corporate and regeneration, said: "We will continue to talk to union representatives and staff to try to resolve this situation."