Bradford Council was yesterday branded "ignorant, arrogant and hypocritical" over a 12-minute meeting to review the progress on proposed Odsal Superdome.

Resident David Warburton, who attended the meeting of the corporate executive sub-committee called to look at progress on the grandiose £200 million plan, said: "This meeting was an absolute insult to the people of Bradford.

"Members picked up their attendance allowances just to be told what we knew on April 9 - that Superdome had appointed financial advisers. How can they spend 12 minutes on a review of what has been described as the most important scheme ever to be brought to Bradford?"

The row blew up over a brief report to the committee by Council Strategic Director David Kennedy that Superdome had appointed the merchant bank Arbuthnot Latham and Co to help in raising the necessary funding.

No other progress was reported and Mr Kennedy was not at the meeting. Representatives from Superdome were also not present and were unavailable for comment.

Former Council leader Councillor John Ryan had pledged the public would be kept fully informed about progress on the long-delayed project.

After the meeting, the leader of the Council's Liberal Democrat group, Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, said she was writing a letter of complaint about the brevity of the report to Chief Executive Richard Penn.

She said at the meeting: "I find it embarrassing to say the least to attend a meeting to receive a piece of information which was faxed to me on April 9."

And committee member Councillor Anne Hawkesworth said: "I am absolutely taken aback by its brevity when we are dealing with such a massive scheme. It appears as if we are not taking things seriously as far as the residents are concerned when this is all we can come up with.''

Mr Warburton asked Council leader Ian Greenwood if there was any progress at all on the scheme.

Coun Greenwood said: "This is the public situation as it stands." He added that under normal circumstances the committee meeting would not have been held. "But this is of a different nature and under public scrutiny."

There would be a fuller review report in September, as it drew closer to December 31 when the Council's contract with Superdome ended.

After the meeting Coun Greenwood said the report did not mean there had been no progress and officers were in regular talks with Superdome executives.

He said the company would now be in sensitive negotiations with potential funders. "You wouldn't expect to see that on a public agenda," he added.

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