Top job titles and "empires" could end as Bradford Council chief executive Ian Stewart draws up plans for a new management team.

Britain's fourth biggest metropolitan authority could scrap existing arrangements where directors and assistant directors work in their own spheres of housing, regeneration, finance, education social services, it emerged today.

Council leader Councillor Ian Greenwood dropped a bombshell on the authority's directors and assistant directors - earning about £1.4 million a year between them - two weeks ago when he told them jobs would advertised nationally in a new management set up.

The Telegraph & Argus reported exclusively that the officers would be able to apply for them, but will compete with other contenders. Now it is understood a system of total team work could be adopted for the first time in the Labour run authority. Coun Greenwood said today the new management plan was not complete and he could not give details. But he added that they would expect "corporate" working by the team. In the past some top officers have been criticised for competing for their own corners and budgets.

The announcement followed a radical reorganisation of the authority, where an executive made up of "super councillors" from the Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrats will take all key decisions.

But the Council is taking advice from specialised employment lawyers over the plans for the new management structure. There has already been criticism from the officers' union, Unison, which says it believes the Council may break its policy of having no compulsory redundancies.

Coun Greenwood said: "We are being advised by employment lawyers. It is not completed yet, but I believe it will be a more corporate management."

But leader of the Council's Tory group Councillor Margaret Eaton said she did not believe a management restructure would improve day-to-day services run by the authority.

"There are still people who have waited three weeks to have leaking roofs repaired."

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