A "stressbuster" plan for City Hall workers was described as an "exclusive health club" funded by Council tax payers yesterday.

The plan includes giving workers physiotherapy and courses about lifestyles and relaxation.

And it proposes easing workloads by reducing services and holding talks between staff and management about what work will be done.

But leader of the Council's Tory group, Councillor Margaret Eaton, said: "Bradford Council should not run a leisure club for its employees, although I sometimes feel we have Gordon Brittas running the empire."

The Council set £10,000 aside to tackle the problem after a survey by Sheffield University showed about 40 per cent of the 23,000 workers could be stressed. The highest figure was among teachers.

The plan, to be considered by councillors next week, also includes identifying workplace stresses and addressing the problems.

Coun Eaton claimed it was a "name and shame" scheme which would create a dangerous precedent and cause more problems than it was intended to solve.

"The whole idea smacks of a McCarthyite-style witch hunt," she said.

"The prospect of being named will only make the jobs of managers all the more difficult.

"Too many already fear taking decisions which could upset colleagues.

"It is astounding that anyone providing public services believes it is right to allow staff to pick and choose what work will get done and what won't.

"The best way to reduce levels of stress would be to stop staff having to attend a multitude of meetings supposedly concerned with stress management."

But chairman of the personnel and development sub-committee Councillor Gillian Whitfield said there were no plans to "name and shame" people.

If old style management practices were identified they would work with the people involved: "If staff named people who were causing them stress we would want to change things. I don't think there is any intention of making them public."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.