MPs are today demanding an end to a National Lottery "rip-off" that has left Bradford missing out on a staggering £15.9m in funding.

The Government is being urged to change “unfair” rules that allow London to swipe hundreds of millions of pounds for arts projects from ticket revenues elsewhere in the country.

A study examined by the Commons culture select committee showed that of money spent on lottery tickets in Bradford £34.6m, was allocated for the arts.

But only £18.7m was returned to the city, leaving the city's four MPs and Bradford Council's culture spokesman to round on the Lottery's 19 year track record on investing in the arts.

That "deficit" since the Lottery was born in 1995 - £15.9m - is the 14th highest of the 326 local authority areas in England.

In stark contrast, four London boroughs boast surpluses topping £100m – Westminster (£393.7m), Lambeth (£171.8m), Camden (£143.2m) and Islington (£122.2m).

Bradford East Liberal Democrat MP David Ward said he would now be writing to the Lottery authorities to seek a "justification" of funding decisions and said people in the north were left feeling like they lost out for investment across the board.

People in the north were "annoyed and feeling we do far worse than we should do, not just in terms of the arts but in terms of investment," he said.

Gerry Sutcliffe, the Bradford South MP who helped carry out the inquiry, said it was time to end what was a “rip off” for the city.

The Labour MP added: “It is unfair that those who play the Lottery don’t receive grants in proportion. Urgent action is needed to redress the balance.”

Shipley MP Philip Davies (Con) also sits on the committee and said: "London is always going to get a disproportionate amount of spending because there are lots of national institutions there.

"Both Gerry (Sutcliffe) and I have been vehemently arguing that our district doesn't get a fair slice of the cake. These figures show that quite starkly.

"For the long-term viability of the lottery it clearly needs to be more closely matched otherwise it will lose its legitimacy."

George Galloway, Bradford West Respect MP, said arts were vital to cities and questioned why funding had not been available from the Lottery to help with the struggling Media Museum and campaign to regenerate the Odeon.

Bradford Council's culture spokeswoman Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said: "We have a rich cultural offer in Bradford and some great arts organisations who make small pots of funding go a long way. I know we could achieve ten times more with just moderate increases in our funding."

Despite the protests, the Commons committee has warned of more problems as a shake-up will allow Lottery funds to be used to make up for declining awards from the Arts Council.

The report adds: “London receives a share of Lottery funding (and grant in aid funding) that is out of all proportion to its population.”

It calls for the capital to receive only “its proper per capita share”, pointing out it would still receive far more than other areas from Arts Council grants and Government funding.

The report states: “This seems a modest proposal that would not threaten London’s world status as a cultural centre.”

The committee started its inquiry – visiting Bradford’s National Media Museum earlier this year – amid growing fears that arts cuts are hitting the North hardest.

Sir Peter Bazalgette, the head of the Arts Council, told the MPs he feared for the future of the arts outside London, as it wrestled with £25m of fresh funding cuts.