Quote Adeybull="Adeybull"True as far as it goes, but not quite the whole story? Don't forget what did much of the damage was making Leeds a development area, qualifying for regional development grants and the like, in the 1980s. Bradford did not qualify.'"
Very true.
You can add in other things, like the centralising of the railways, which made Leeds the hub and turned Bradford into a branchline; the motorway network, which again aims for Leeds, there isn't even a mention of Bradford on the signs until you get to Wakefield. Our branch, the M62, wasn't completed until many years after Leeds had the M1 heading to its heart, and equally importantly well after many national and international companies had already chosen Leeds as their 'Northern head office'.
There are many things we can blame Bfd council for, but they in turn have been buffeted by things beyond their control, like the, previously mentioned, Thatcher government's decision to give that development area status to Leeds. This was hardly a carefully thought through measure in any sense - Leeds certainly wasn't in a worse position than Bradford, was it? The government, stung by accusations that it was letting the North rot, decided to throw money in a few, limited, directions but the scattergun missed Bradford.
I think, Adey, you once pointed out Bradford's (maybe) unique ability to vote in councils from the opposite persuasion to the prevailing government, and it may well be this which is the biggest contributor to the city's position, rather than any particular shortcomings, of the council, both now and previously. That said, they haven't helped over much either, like the supine acceptance of the latest development area AGAIN going to Leeds.