Council officers have been asked to explore the option of a DIY solution to the multi-million-pound building crisis in Bradford's swimming pools and leisure centres.

Members of the regeneration and culture scrutiny committee agreed officers should look at the option of the Council raising the £6.2 million needed to put the ailing leisure buildings right itself.

They recommended that the Executive Committee wait to see if a current exercise, where the authority has gone on the open market with proposals for the management of its £1 billion assets, could also include some of the centres.

But if the response was unacceptable management through a private partner or leisure trust should be considered along with other options.

The scrutiny committee, sitting in City Hall last night, also recommended that the buildings be treated individually and not as a group.

But the Executive Committee will be recommended to continue delivering sports development with improvements within the local authority.

Chairman Councillor Andy Mudd said he did not believe leisure trusts were the right vehicle to bring very large amounts of funding into the service. "There is not another example in Britain of them bringing in £6.2 million. They don't have a great deal of expertise and their credit ratings are not particularly good," he added.

But Coun Mudd said the Council had borrowing powers and could negotiate good arrangements. He said he was also unhappy that a private partner could benefit financially from increased business because of the improvements when the Council could have done it itself.

Coun Jim O'Neill (Lab, Odsal) said he wanted firm details and concrete evidence before any decision was taken to transfer the buildings.

He warned he did not want to see an arrangement "stitched up" by the Council's asset management which councillors found politically unacceptable.

He was assured by executive member for the environment Coun Anne Hawkesworth that would not be the case.

Coun Valerie Binney (Con, Thornton) said: "We have been a heck of a long time looking at reports. These buildings haven't been looked after and Thornton Baths have been forced to close because of their condition."

Officers said some buildings were in good condition and had been refurbished. But others were poor and needed action.

Deputy chairman Coun Val Slater said she feared they were being asked to "plaster over" problems without being given full information about how new arrangements would work.