Community leaders in Bradford are guilty of creating cosy relationships with politicians to rubber-stamp decisions, it was claimed today.

Community activist and former youth worker Ateeq Saddiq said the relationships had to be broken up and real people given the chance to direct their own destinies.

His comments come as the Race Review reveal how politicians "kowtowed" to community leaders to keep the peace.

Mr Saddiq said: "So-called community leaders collectively are usually yes men who toe the line.

"There are very cosy relationships between self-appointed community leaders and people in power who use each other to rubber-stamp decisions that affect all our lives.

"There is a crisis of under-representation (in decision-making) from all communities across Bradford.

"Non-conformists are often given the wrong information, left in the dark and engineered out of meetings so they can't make valid points."

According to the review, in the eyes of many Bradford people politicians are weak in "kowtowing" to community leadership and operating within a "doing-deals culture" to keep the peace.

It says community leaders are often "in league with the establishment key people" and maintain segregation through fear, ignorance and threats.

Mr Saddiq welcomed the race review's call for people from different communities to be given more active, responsible and leadership roles in decision-making

"It's often the same pot of people making the decisions," he said. "The key decision-makers don't live in inner cities.

"Let's face it, around 80 per cent of people earning £20,000-plus live outside the Bradford Met area.

"We need more ordinary people who are in a minority involved in the democratic process - the people who are affected by the decisions being made.

"The issues raised in this race review are not new but we need to put them into practice - now more than ever."

Shamshad Hussain, a women's rights and anti-racist worker in Bradford, said: "The review has highlighted common problems of poverty and inadequate representation that need to be addressed.

"We have to look at issues of poverty in all communities and where the BNP can exploit them.

"White people on estates feel alienation and poverty on the same level as young Asians.

"We need a pro-active youth service to unite these communities."

Mohammed Riaz, a parliamentary candidate for Bradford West in this year's General Election who is race relations advisor to the Conservative Party, said: "The review highlights some of the problems which need to be addressed.

"But the end issue is that unless these are identified and real solutions implemented, in another five years we will be reading similar reports.

"I welcome the report. Now we have to go to the hard core - the people who are affected - and bring about change."