It was apparently a "misunderstanding" which led to Council officials deciding to censor the title of a play from the illuminated display in Centenary Square. It is one from which a lesson must be learned. Such misunderstandings do no favours to Bradford.

Admittedly, the play's title - Sexual Perversity in Chicago - is something of an eye-catcher. But the play contains no nudity and no sex scenes. It is a well-known work which has been performed all over the world on stage and turned into a film.

So what other than out-dated prudishness and Philistinism caused these nameless officials to decide that the people of Bradford and visitors to the city might be offended by seeing that title on a public notice board?

This sort of apparent small-town provincial mentality helps to make us a laughing stock in the wider world, where Bradford continues to have an image problem. Only last night TV game show presenter Chris Tarrant told a local contestant hoping to win £1 million that for that money she could probably buy Bradford.

To that small-town impression of us could now be added a charge of small-mindedness. The refusal to allow the play to be publicised on the Centenary Square display will have been no help to the Priestley Centre for the Arts. It is currently battling to keep its head above water. It needs all the publicity it can get to fill its seats and its box-office till. Bradford Council officials should be offering it support, not mistakenly putting unnecessary obstacles in its way.

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