A committee chaired by the Bishop of Bradford will examine claims that a senior councillor released a letter which allegedly damaged a community association. A preliminary inquiry has been carried out into an official complaint by Ravenscliffe and Greengates Association against the chairman of the Newlands Single Regeneration Budget Partnership Councillor Bob Sowman.

A report on the complaint against the former Lord Mayor will be considered by Bradford Council's standards committee chaired by the Very Reverend David Smith on Wednesday.

Members will be told the results of the initial inquiry by monitoring officer and barrister Gerry Danby after the complaint was received in January.

They will then have the choice of making a decision on the complaint or ordering a full investigation, and they have the power to consider the matter behind closed doors.

The Council's principle consultant solicitor Tony Kilner said today he could not comment on either the identity of the councillor or the report on the initial inquiry which would go to councillors.

But the Telegraph & Argus can reveal the association submitted the complaint after a copy of a letter it had received from the Council's Chief Executive Ian Stewart was passed round a public meeting of the partnership last October.

Mr Stewart's letter referred to a £17,000 unused grant alleged to have been given to the association.

But association secretary Audrey Raistrick said today: "The association never received the grant and two days later we had a letter admitting that."

She said the association worked tirelessly for the community and the letter should not have been made public.

Coun Sowman refused to comment.