Beleaguered traders at Shipley indoor market hall could form a co-operative and run the market themselves, they claimed today.

The lease for the market hall expires in three months' time but Bradford Council and landlords London & Associated Properties plc are locked in dispute about rent levels.

Members of the Council's scrutiny and overview committee voted on Wednesday to allow negotiations to continue. But traders today spoke of their disappointment and blamed Bradford Council for dragging its feet.

David Burke, chairman of the Shipley branch of the National Indoor Market Traders Federation, branded the Council incompetent, saying the situation had been allowed to descend into chaos.

"We were not informed about the meeting until the day before when a notice was put up in the toilets," he said. "The meeting was held on Wednesday which is usually when the traders go to get supplies from the warehouses.

"Also, I spoke to a representative from London & Associa-ted and was told that they received an invitation to the meeting on Monday evening.

"They said regrettably it was too short notice for them to make arrangements to come up to Shipley from London."

Mr Burke said that traders had held meaningful talks with the company themselves.

"Everyone is feeling a little bit aggrieved about the Council," he said.

"The Council has not been able to come to an agreement and they have not quoted any figures to us so it is hard to judge what is happening.

"However, we held a meeting on April 30 ourselves with the company and feel as if there is hope for the market hall. The company are keen to keep the market hall running and they gave us three options.

"Either the Council can continue to run the hall, the company can take over or we could form a co-operative where we would lease the property direct from the company, pay rent and service charges and then arrange for our own security and maintenance. There was an interest shown in this plan."

Wallace Sampson, Bradford Council's director of customer services, said talks had been on-going. "It is regrettable that letters were not sent out earlier to tenants advising them of the meeting. However, once letters were issued a copy was also put on the trader noticeboard, as is normal.

"London & Associated were invited several times to the meeting but declined for various reasons."

Councillor Simon Cooke, Bradford Council's executive member for corporate and regeneration, said talks would continue.

"At the moment we cannot sign a lease which would have such a major financial impact on the markets service," he said. "It would affect the promised improvements to other markets such as Keighley and the Kirkgate market in Bradford."