A report into problems surrounding this summer's Bradford Festival gives the message that the company and the community should work together.

The report follows the first full inquiry set up by the Council into a major issue. The hearing came after a report on the festival by John Botteley, the Council's head of theatre, arts and festivals, which praised some aspects but said it had under achieved.

The non-profit making Bradford Festival Company lost the contract last year to a major British company UZ events. A Reclaim Bradford Festival campaign has been launched, but the existing contract awarded to the new Bradford International Festival Company has two years to run and cannot be terminated. The draft report on the findings, published today, concludes improvements need to be made in view of issues including:

l A failure to involve disabled people in the Lord Mayor's parade;

l A failure of some organisations to take part in the Mela for reasons including high charges for stalls and few schools parading. Committee members criticise the make up of the contract as unclear, lacking penalties or incentives and having inadequate evaluation and monitoring arrangements. The report says the issue of whether a new company would have time to prepare the festival should have also been part of the process of going out to tender.

But it said work should now begin to ensure the success of next year's event with parties working together. Committee chairman, Councillor Andy Mudd, said: "The festival belongs to Bradford and will only work if local people get behind it and feel a sense of ownership."

But a Bradford International Company spokesman said: "Bradford city would be better served by those who strive for and celebrate success, rather than those who conduct their business around the language of failure."

Former festival director Dusty Rhodes, a member of the Reclaim Bradford Festival campaign said: "I haven't had time to study the report in detail but see it as a start to addressing some of the concerns. But we feel it does not go far enough."

The draft recommendations in the report will be considered by Regeneration and Culture Committee on Tuesday.