Bradford Council is considering tightening its role in regeneration groups spending millions of pounds of public money across the district.

The move follows allegations that grants to projects by the Manningham and Girlington Single Regenera-tion Budget Partnership Board were not used for the purpose intended.

The allegations were made in person to the Council which has passed information to the police after an investigation by its internal auditor.

Fraud squad officers are now carrying out a preliminary investigation to decide whether a further probe is necessary. The Manningham and Girlington Partnership is dealing with a £9.7 million award to breathe new life into the heavily deprived area.

Today the Council's executive member for regeneration, Councillor Simon Cooke, said the authority was officially accountable for almost all the SRB schemes which allocated millions of pounds awarded by the Government but he said its primary role was to look at business plans and targets.

"We will be reviewing the part the Council plays and whether we could take preventative action looking at deliverability and tightening up on the circumstances in which the awards are given."

He said the Council dealt with all the SRB schemes, except the Royds regeneration project, which had been administered by the community and became a national example of good practice.

The Manningham and Girlington award was seen as a major step towards solving problems which contributed to two nights of rioting in the area in 1995. Most projects have been job-orientated.

Last June the partnership said it was down to its last £800,000 and turning away applications for many new partnerships. Councillors and community leaders had originally hoped for an award totalling more than £20 million when the application for SRB funding was considered by the Government.

A report into all the Council's regeneration schemes in 2001 by consultant KPMG said some of the projects picked by the Manningham and Girlington Partnership for funding required more appraisal.

A police spokesman confirmed today that the fraud squad was investigating information passed on by the Council to consider whether further action would be necessary. Coun Cooke said he could not name the projects which were the subject of complaints.