An independent organisation will be brought in to assess Bradford Council's progress towards tackling race relations issues and creating harmony across the district.

The move was agreed at a three-hour meeting of the executive committee last night including a one-hour adjournment where councillors left the meeting to discuss the way ahead.

Councillors wanted to discuss the serious implications of the Ouseley Report into Bradford's race relations and the findings of a review commissioned by the Home Office and headed by former Nottingham Council chief executive Ted Cantle into riots in Bradford, Burnley and Oldham.

Officers said the response by Bradford to issues highlighted in the Home Office report was likely to be used as part of the Government's Community Cohesion Strategies.

The Home Office will set up a special task force to oversee the work done throughout the country to bring communities together, following the disturbances.

Next Tuesday's Council meeting will be asked to endorse the committee's decision that an independent organisation or individual should assess the Council's progress on addressing issues raised in the reports.

The executive committee also agreed that the recommendations in the reports should be included in the district's Community Strategy with regular reports back on the success of initiatives.

The committee decided the success of projects should also be assessed using its annual customer services survey and a speak-out panel made up of 2,500 residents.

But executive committee member for education Councillor David Ward said: "There will always be a tendency towards disharmony in Bradford as a major conurbation."

He said Bradford had lost a vital chance in the schools reorganisation when it had only paid lip service to the issue of social harmony.

He said problems could be diagnosed, action agreed to put things right but no-one was taking into account the fact that things changed.

Councillor Ralph Berry, Labour spokesman for Education, said leadership had been criticised in all the reports.

He said: "Sometimes you have to feel your back exposed. We are here to take risks."

The committee agreed to advertise for members to sit on a special panel to deal with the "pay" of councillors.

The membership will reflect the district's diverse communities and politicians will not be accepted for the panel.

The panel will advise on schemes for giving councillors allowances and the authority is compelled by Government rules to consider its guidance.

Currently Bradford councillors receive a basic allowance of £7,500 but it is topped up by special responsibility allowances to the leader, executive committee members, leaders of political groups and committee chairmen.