Bradford’s culture boss wants up-and-coming arts groups to flood Arts Council England with grant bids to tackle a north-south funding divide.

In October, an independent report criticised the body for ploughing much of its money into the capital, at the expense of the north of England.

Now Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, executive member for culture at Bradford Council, has said getting more Bradford artists and groups to bid for cash would be a positive way of trying to address the problem, while also boosting arts provision in the city.

She said she particularly wanted to see more people applying for its Lottery-funded programme for smaller grants, called Grants for the Arts.

She said: “It’s easier to get these and the more who apply, the higher the hit rate is going to be. We could do with more applications going in.”

She has persuaded Arts Council England to come to Bradford to run a workshop this month telling artists what they look for in funding bids. The details are still to be confirmed.

Coun Hinchcliffe said she would also be pushing for the district’s larger arts groups to continue to be supported.

Currently there are a handful of local organisations which are included on the Arts Council England’s national portfolio.

This means they get funding for a three-year period, which is due to end in March 2015.

Organisations supported in the Bradford district include Kala Sangam, Mind the Gap, Bradford’s Impressions Gallery, the University’s Theatre in the Mill and Ilkley Literature Festival. Together they get around £1.2 million of Arts Council cash.