AN INDEPENDENT report warns too few managers at Bradford Council are from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The report, commissioned by the Council at a cost of £67,000, has looked at how well the authority develops its workforce - an issue becoming increasingly important as staffing levels shrink.

Consultants Hay Group held focus groups with Council staff and discovered concerns that those from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds felt overlooked for promotion, complaining that managers did not recognise their abilities because of "conscious or unconscious bias".

It found only ten per cent of senior managers were non-white - a figure which has since risen to 13 per cent, according to the Council.

It also uncovered a wider frustration among staff that the culture was inflexible, bound by too many rules and that managers did not like to be challenged.

The Hay Group put forward eight recommendations for improvements.

This includes changing the culture so independent thought and challenge is welcomed.

It also called on the authority to use "positive action" to accelerate the development of under-represented groups such as younger workers, disabled people or those from BME communities.

It said: "Talented women, BME and younger people should be prioritised to help create progression paths for those least represented at senior levels."

Bradford Council has accepted the findings and has agreed to start positive action initiatives to boost the recruitment, development and promotional prospects of under-represented minorities.

Councillor Ishtiaq Ahmed (Bradford Independent Group, Manningham) has long been campaigning for more senior managers from ethnic minorities at the authority.

He said action had been a long time coming.

He said: "We are one of the biggest employers in the city, yet the representation at senior level is unbalanced, to say the least."

Cllr Ahmed said too often Bradford Council staff from ethnic minorities had moved to other local authorities to develop their careers.

He said: "We have had some fantastic individuals that worked for this authority but were never elevated into senior positions."

A new Council report about the Hay Group's findings says Bradford Council also wants to develop the skills of the workforce as a whole to ready itself for tough times ahead.

In an exclusive interview with the T&A published yesterday, Bradford Council's new chief executive, Kersten England, has warned she expects hundreds of jobs to be lost over the next two years as cuts bite.

As a result, the new report by director of human resources Suzanne Dunkley says the authority is keen to make sure "all staff have the skills, competence and confidence to fulfil their role and adapt to new ways of working".

The report will be discussed by the Corporate overview and scrutiny committee at City Hall, Bradford, at 5.30pm tomorrow.