Jubilant Bradford Festival bosses have announced plans for the event to become bigger and better.

They say the event will forge ahead into the new Millennium thanks to a new £425,000 grant over four years from the European Regional Development Fund and confirmation of a £250,000 annual Bradford Council grant until 2001.

The funding, which was agreed last night by the Council's leisure services committee, means the festival will be held over three weeks next year instead of a fortnight.

And festival director Mark Fielding said today he was confident the event would be extended to five weeks in 2000, making it one of the biggest of its kind in the country.

He said the new funding arrangements gave the festival a solid base to improve over the next four years.

He said: "We have never had a position where the staffing situation has been stable. Now, with this European grant and a longer-term contract with the Council, it puts us in a much better position."

Fellow director Allan Brack added: "This couldn't have come at a better time for the festival because of the run-up to the Millennium. It's a very exciting time to have that security.

"The growth of the festival effectively means we can do more and over a longer period of time and have a major impact on the dynamics of the city centre."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.