'Now we have to make it all work'

Martin Garratt, chief executive of Bradford Vision, has already begun to sow the seeds of change.

Bradford Vision has developed from Bradford Congress, which was set up to secure Government grants and private funding for the district.

And as well as looking at issues highlighted in Lord Ouseley's report, Mr Garratt has to ensure the points published in the 2020 Vision document - the result of a district-wide survey of the needs of Bradford people - are also covered.

"The district has come in for a lot of bad press and we have already set up a team of marketing managers from key organisations, such as the Chamber of Commerce and the University of Bradford, who work on promoting the district," said Mr Garratt.

"Bradford has a lot to offer and we have to look at ways in promoting it."

Mr Garratt said another area to focus on was neighbourhood regeneration.

This will look at the existing partnerships that exist in the city and collating information about them to create a "Bradford observatory".

"There are a lot of groups and partnerships and the aim is to look at the socio-economic research that has already been gathered, for funding packages like Single Regeneration Budgets, Trident and the New Deal fund," said Mr Garratt.

"We want to bring all these together and collate the information we have available so a proactive group, responsible for funding, will be able to use this information to obtain further funding from central government."

The third key area will be investment.

"We are setting up an organisation called Vision for Jobs which will be looking at the most needy areas of the district and at the same time we will be establishing the city centre management company," added Mr Garratt.

The company in charge of the city centre will be conducting a number of surveys to see what businesses, shops and leisure facilities shoppers and visitors would like to see move in to Bradford.

It will also survey the empty units and approach prospective businesses.

"We may find that there isn't a certain type of shop so we can then approach a certain type of business and let them know there's a niche in Bradford," he added.

And on top of all that, Mr Garratt will also be looking at implementing the recommendation's of Lord Ouseley's report.

"Some of the issues will tie in with these three areas, but we will be sitting down and establishing an implementation team with a director who will prioritise it," he said.

"It's an exciting and challenging role and there is a lot to be done, but I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and creating a better Bradford."

Bradford Vision will be divided into three bodies which are still being set up.

The board will be made up of individuals, including representatives from key organisations such as Bradford Council, Bradford Health Authority, West Yorkshire Police, the voluntary sector and Yorkshire Forward.

It will set the priorities of Bradford Vision.

The executive will be made up of individuals with experience in different areas and will co-ordinate and implement those priorities.

The assembly, made up of people from across the district who will meet in small groups, will act as an information channel between the board, the executive and the public.

Leading figures in Bradford's diverse communities had mixed reactions to the publication of Lord Ouseley's District Race Review.

Pastor Ramson Mumba, of the Centre of Life Church in Nelson Street in Bradford, was invited to the initial race review meeting.

He said race and religion were no excuse for last weekend's violence and people must learn from the report how to integrate and not be judgmental.

"We cannot have a repeat of last weekend. It doesn't matter if you're young or old, black, Asian or white - the behaviour is not acceptable," he said.

"As much as we want to blame the authorities, every individual is equally to blame. It is a city of fear - one of the reasons why the police are not allowed to police properly is because they are intimidated. If they arrest a black person, they are called racist. If they arrest an Asian, they are called racist. They are not arresting people because of their colour but on the crimes they are committing."

The Reverend Gordon Dey, of St Christopher's Church in Holme Wood, criticised the report for tarring all Bradford schools with the same brush. "From the report you would get the impression that all schools are failing to act in a way that is integrating young people together and that is simply not true," he said.

Malcolm Walters, of Odsal Community Centre, said he believed police should be given more powers to deal with problems, such as those they were faced with on Saturday.

"People are really concerned about the problems that exist in Bradford and they are reflected in the report," he said.

Christine Binns, company secretary of Saffron Dean Community Association in Allerton, said the report reflected what people in Bradford had been saying for years.

"I hope something good does come out of the report and that we can have harmony without having the race relations people breathing down our necks," she said.

Khadim Hussain, of the Executive Committee of the Council of Mosques in Bradford, said he thought Bradford could move on from the report's findings in terms of education, policing and integration.

"We need mixed schools - that would be the best solution," he said.