It is pleasing to see that the Council is starting to take seriously some of the allegations which have been winging their way around City Hall and more recently to external organisations and individuals.

Allegations of cronyism and nepotism, jobs for the boys (and girls), inappropriate use of funds, councillors enjoying unnecessary junkets at home and abroad... These are part of the make-up of local authorities and they tend to be rife in such organisations, wherever they are.

In many cases they are ill-founded rumours started by disaffected employees or those with a grudge against their bosses or against the politics of one side or other of the authority.

But sometimes they are proved to be true, and those in the know suspect that the ones that do make it into the public domain are only the tip of the iceberg.

For someone within the Council itself, it is very difficult to step forward and make a complaint for fear that it could lead to loss of job and livelihood. But it is often very difficult to prove allegations when there is no evidence clearly supporting them.

The mechanism Bradford Council has now set in place to take complaints in confidence, and the legal measures introduced by the Government to protect "whistle blowers", have yet to be proven fully. But if ever we are to get to the bottom of some of the serious allegations being made publicly but anonymously about the Council, those in the know must pluck up the courage to trust the safeguards and step forward to provide the evidence to incriminate the wrongdoers.