The big guns of the property world are lining up to take over the management of Bradford Council's buildings and properties in a multi-million pound deal.

About 600 key buildings, including offices, sports centres, libraries, theatres, and possibly even City Hall, are to be passed into the hands of an outside company to manage in the first deal of its kind in the country.

The Council has already transferred the running of its education services to private company Serco and the district's 26,000 Council houses were transferred to Bradford Community Housing Trust last week.

The portfolio of properties, ranging from bill boards to shopping centres, has a total value of nearly £1 billion.

They include the Woolpack Inn, Esholt, which is still up for sale after the Council failed to get the price it had hoped for at auctions.

Parts of the Kirkgate Shopping Centre and Airedale Centre in Keighley are expected to be in the package along with industrial parks and garages. The partner could also take over the management of St George's Hall, which needs huge expenditure to bring it up to modern standards.

Together the property brings in an estimated £6.9 million annual income including rents and leases.

But the Council has decided to bring in a private partner to manage them because members feel they need professional expertise.

The authority is expected to advertise across Europe in the near future and the exact role of the partner is being discussed by senior officers.

It is also due to look for a separate major company to bring investment, expertise and skills to upgrade its information technology systems.

But unions are opposed to both partnerships and describe them as "privatisation."

Property giant Land Securities Trillium, which runs buildings for the BBC, British Telecom and the Department of Work and Pensions, looks certain to be among the bidders for the asset management contract.

Its spokesman said: "We would be delighted to work with Bradford if it invited us to do so."

Under any deal the assets are transferred to the property management company for a fixed price. Then it charges the Council a set amount per month for the service of managing the buildings and providing top quality facilities for the public.

The company takes over the cleaning, security and maintenance of the buildings.

Consultants Deloitte & Touche were appointed by the Council to carry out a feasibility study for the scheme. They considered a partnership was the best option and the Council is consulting trade unions about the move.

Plans to bring in an outside partner were agreed last December by the Executive Committee.

Chief executive Ian Stewart told the committee that some of the buildings were in a poor condition and not bringing in the right returns.

Today a Council spokesman said discussions were at too sensitive a stage to comment.

But deputy Council leader Councillor Simon Cooke said: "There isn't any question of selling the family silver. We have decided to bring in an external partner which will have the capacity to attract investment. Funding streams are available to them which local authorities cannot use."

He said some of the Council's properties needed large sums of money for improvements which the authority could not afford. "The partner would benefit from economies it would make through operating on such a large scale."

Coun Cooke said the details were not finalised but a new organisation operating like a joint venture company may be set up which would mean the Council would retain its interest and control over services.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "Clearly the Council isn't managing its assets well and because the department has been understaffed and under-resourced.

"This is about looking to find someone to manage the assets professionally. At the moment we are paying millions of pounds just to own them."

But the Council's Unison branch chairman Liz Devlin said: "We regard it as privatisation however they dress it up. We are concerned for the staff and hope the Council would second them rather than transfer them."

And leader of the Labour Group, Councillor Ian Greenwood, said: "I am extremely concerned about the Council being stripped of its assets.

"I think they are in danger of getting rid of the jewels and I certainly don't think City Hall should be in the control of anyone else."