Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has announced that the citizens of Bradford will decide how to spend a kitty of up to £20m of the Council's cash, proclaiming: "Democracy should be about much more than casting a vote every few years.

It should be a daily activity, not an abstract theory."

And while Bradford is in a ten-strong vanguard, the rest of the country can expect to be included in such schemes within five years.

Ms Blears is keen to point out we are not talking about small grants to fund a tea party, but big choices; and she wants Bradford to show this can be done.

Council leader Kris Hopkins has been quick to sound a note of caution, fearing that the cash may come from existing budgets. But surely the point of the scheme is to let people decide how council funds are spent.

He is on stronger ground with concerns this may be all spin and no substance, and about the real desire to empower people. For many choose not to vote at present, and such apathy may continue with this initiative.

We would then be left with only the usual suspects getting involved in making decisions and the views of this vocal minority would then hold sway over those of the silent majority. Democracy should never be a case of who shouts the loudest getting their way.