The Bradford Festival is one of the most important dates in the district's calendar and it is crucial that this event, which goes a long way to uniting many of Bradford's different communities, is the best that it can possibly be.

A report today calls for significant improvements to the way that the festival was run this year, under the auspices of the newly-formed Bradford International Festival Ltd.

The report from Bradford Council includes a 24-point action plan to improve the festival, which many people complained was not as good as in previous years. The Mela came in for particular criticism, with allegations of abuse to members of staff from some traders.

It is right and proper that Bradford Council speaks out if it feels that the festival was not as good as it could have been - this event means a lot to the people of Bradford and the city deserves the finest festival attractions on offer.

But we must also bear in mind that the new company awarded the contract only had a few months to prepare for the festival and to organise the various events and acts that make up the packed programme.

And the report is not all complaints - it does praise the organisers for the all-important safety of those attending, the new-style Lord Mayor's Parade, and the addition of new outdoor theatre pieces.

The people behind the festival are professionals with a good track record of organising large-scale events. They will have had a full year to run up to next year's Bradford Festival, and it is only fair that they be judged properly on that one.