The Bradford district is a growing one, and major changes are required to cope with that.

We have already been told that many more houses are required to cope with the projected population increases, and roads and other infrastructure are constantly being re-assessed accordingly.

So it comes as something of a surprise to discover that Bradford has been given what councillors quite rightly refer to as a "derisory" amount of Government cash to boost the number of school places in the district.

Out of a pot of £1.6 billion being given to schools in England for this purpose over the next three years, the district is to get a lowly amount of just £727,000.

This has been variously derided as "a drop in the ocean" and "tokenism", especially when neighbouring authorities are getting much, much more - £4.9 million for Calderdale and £33.1 million for Leeds.

It is almost impossible to understand the logic behind this. Can central government really be suggesting that Bradford needs less help - to such a startling degree - than other authorities nearby?

Even if, as is being said, money is coming from other sources to help fund an increase in school places, it does seem that Bradford has been treated especially shabbily in this regard.

Naturally, efforts are already underway to challenge this decision and hopefully they will bear fruit - and quickly.

Because, by 2019 it is estimated there will be more than 500 school children without places in the first year of high school. That is a crisis-in-waiting, and it is to be hoped that this issue is resolved far before that happens.