POLITICIANS in Bradford need to do more to raise its profile on a national scale, according to a council committee.

And a lobbying group says everyone in the district can play their part in banging the drum for the district.

Senior figures in Bradford are getting frustrated that the powers-that-be are treating Manchester, Leeds and Hull as "the only cities in the north", it has emerged.

The problem was discussed during a meeting of Bradford Council's governance and audit committee.

The committee was considering a report about Bradford Council's Producer City initiative, which aims to promote the district as an area which makes products.

Committee member Councillor Margaret Eaton (Con) told the meeting: "People talk about Manchester, Leeds and Hull as if they are the only cities in the north."

Baroness Eaton, who sits in the House of Lords, said countering this view would not just be a job for the Producer City's board for 'place', but would be down to "a lot of us in our respective roles".

Council leader, Councillor David Green (Lab) agreed.

He said: "I share your frustration about the fact that when everybody talks about the north of England, people talk about Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Hull and Newcastle."

He suggested that perhaps they needed to "improve communications".

But committee member Councillor Jeanette Sunderland said: "I don't think marketing takes care of it."

Councillor Sunderland, the leader of the council's Liberal Democrat group, said increasingly, decisions were being taken about Bradford by people outside of Bradford who knew very little about it.

She said: "Whenever we are sitting in the presence of somebody who is a decision-maker we can take that opportunity to try to influence that individual."

Cllr Sunderland said they would often meet these decision-makers in social situations, rather than formal meetings, but still needed to push the district in a "very deliberate and very purposeful" way.

After the meeting, Colin Philpott, chief executive of lobbying group Bradford Breakthrough, said he shared the councillors' frustrations that the city frequently got overlooked.

But Mr Philpott, who also sits on the Producer City place board, said everyone in the district could play their part in changing this.

He said: "It's not just the responsibility of councillors, it's the responsibility of everyone to talk the place up."