Bradford could soon be switching on a big screen - live in Centenary Square.

Councillors meet next week to decide whether to give £80,000 towards the permanent screen on the side of the new leisure complex in the square.

And ambitious plans for its use could include boosting local democracy - by getting people in the square to vote by mobile phone on issues being debated in nearby City Hall.

The rest of the cash needed for the £260,000 screen has been pledged by private and public sector partners including the Arts Council, Bradford Vision and Asda St James, which developed the bar and restaurant units in the square.

Some of the money has been promised from the Council's Lighting the City fund which would see the screen as "a light-based public artwork" switched on from around 6.30am to midnight.

Bradford Council special projects officer Steve Manthorpe said the Council Executive's decision on Tuesday would be "the final plank" in the funding.

But he said partnerships with local businesses and organisations would be sought to help pay for its upkeep and bring in revenue.

What is on the screen will depend on whether the Council teams up with BBC public space broadcasts or independent programmers. "The key to making sure we don't end up with a wallpaper of daytime TV is to get the whole city behind us and come up with material that gives ownership to Bradford," he said.

"One vision of mine is that every child in Bradford draws a picture to be flashed up for everyone to see. As well as being used as a platform for what's happening in our community, promoting attractions and events, it will show national sports and cultural highlights everyone wants to watch."

Bradford's National Museum of Photography, Film and Television is interested. A spokesman said: "It's a very exciting project with lots of possibilities. We would be interested in sharing contents from the museum."

Bradford Council's executive member for Regeneration, Councillor Simon Cooke, said the screen would be "a fantastic addition to Centenary Square".

He said other such UK projects had been examined - including one in Hull which cost more than £600,000.

Hull signed up with the BBC six months ago and has come under fire from shoppers fed up with its 24-hour rolling barrage of programmes from soaps to Teletubbies and news updates.

Coun Cooke said: "We'll be keen to get the programming right. We would rather have an input into what is screened than make do with what we are given."

It is not the first time Bradford has had a taste of the big screen. In 2002, a screen was installed in Glydegate Square as part of the bid to become the 2008 European Capital of Culture.

The £40,000 Lottery Funded concept, named Extra, showed celebrities like Bradford Bulls star Robbie Paul and TV presenter Richard Whiteley walking through the city streets.

A camera filmed passers-by, whose images were posted onto the screen - making it look like they were walking alongside the celebrities.

Ron Miller, spokesman for Bradford Vision which is also backing the screen, said: "Bradford's best ambassadors are the people who live and work here and the key to gaining their support is to improve the way in which key messages are communicated to them.

"A giant screen in Centenary Square will be seen by thousands of people so it will provide tremendous opportunities for providing information in a high-impact way. We are glad to support it.

"The screen will not only show messages of interest to residents and visitors but, at times, we hope it could also be used to display messages from one community to another."