Protesters have stepped up their campaign to keep the district's 27,000 Council houses under the control of the local authority.

The Defend Council Housing campaign has linked with trade union organisations to stage its first major conference on Saturday.

The move comes as Council lawyers prepare formal offers to tenants including rights, protection and conditions if proposals go ahead to transfer the houses next year.

It would be the biggest single transfer of homes so far by any local authority.

But the decision is down to the tenants who are expected to vote in the spring in a referendum on whether to transfer to a group of non-profit making housing associations which would be set up by the Council.

Housing chiefs say the associations could get funds from the Government- backed Housing Corporation and other sources not open to councils.

The campaigners say the move is privatisation but the Council denies it and insists tenants would have majority membership on the boards of the trusts.

The campaigners claim tenants will lose their rights and rents will increase.

The conference will be held at the Arts and Resources centre in Chapel Street, Little Germany, between 11am and 4pm.

Labour spokesman for housing Councillor Dave Green will tell campaigners what they are up against. There will also be studies of two campaigns which stopped the transfer of council houses.

Deb Collett, of Bradford Trades Council, said today: "The conference will be bringing together tenants and trade unions to devise winning strategies for Bradford. Bradford is going too far down the road of selling off its assets and not recognising the value of what it has."

But Executive member for health and housing Councillor Kris Hopkins said they were trying to give tenants a better deal after years of neglect to council houses.

The new system could bring in £800 million to bring the homes up to scratch - something the Council could not afford.

Offers to the tenants were being drawn up and would be considered by the Executive committee and the Council next month.