The handling by the Government of the disposal of sites and properties owned by Yorkshire Forward seems somewhat confused at the least.

When the Regional Development Agencies were closed down, what would happen to the land in their possession was the big question.

It is hard to see what the answer is at the moment, nor how the way the situation is panning out is in the best interests of local communities.

Effectively, it seems the Yorkshire Forward-owned sites in Bradford such as the National Tyres area are to be put on the open market.

If a local authority such as Bradford Council wants to develop these key sites to benefit the local area it looks like they would have to buy them.

Given that, through the way Yorkshire Forward has been funded, these sites have already been bought with public money, this would mean essentially spending cash from the public purse twice on the same pieces of land.

When the sites are key to the regeneration of Bradford, such as the Odeon, the Furniture City site and the Tyrls area of Centenary Square, this seems doubly nonsensical.

The Government must look at ways of retaining these areas in public ownership without potentially wasting millions of pounds or needlessly delaying much-needed regeneration projects.