Bradford Council's arts, heritage and leisure department could change the way it spends its £20 million budget.

One of the authority's top committees was today being asked to approve a district-wide review of how best to use the cash.

If the regeneration and economy committee agrees, Bradford will become the first local authority in the UK to conduct a so-called "needs analysis" for the entire arts, heritage and leisure sector and the results - due in six months - will become a template for others to follow.

It comes after an Audit Commission inspection of the service two years ago recommended a comprehensive analysis of the district's real cultural needs.

Culture chiefs are pulling together recent public surveys targeted at areas like parks and sports and preparing new ones.

Tim Hirst, head of strategic support, research and performance in the department, said it needs to reach out to groups not making the most of sports facilities, museums, libraries and parks. He said: "What is important is why people are not using the services.

"It is important to look across the board or all you are doing is tweaking services whereas, if there is part of the community who don't use the service for a reason, you can address that and you may be looking at a whole new market."

The authority is looking at consultations including:

l "speak out" surveys, which involve a representative sample of 2,500 Bradford residents - such an exercise has already been commissioned about cultural servicesfor later this month

l assessment of community needs by looking at the cultural issues thrown up as part of the neighbourhood and urban village action plans under way

l asking interested groups such as "friends" of parks and theatre audiences about their needs

l talking to other interest groups who can give advice on disabled access or young people's interests

Details of how to conduct the survey and who would do the work, would be discussed later.

Jane Glaister, director of arts heritage and leisure in Bradford, said: "It will certainly result in changes to the way we look at the future of the service, which is something I am particularly interested in.

"The way people use their leisure time now is different to 10 years ago and, through future forecasting, some of that use may be linked to training and work in the creative industries. But we need to go out and talk to people."