BRINGING the perpetrators of child sexual abuse to justice is the “number one priority” for Bradford Council, a meeting of the full authority heard last night.

A motion recognising rights of children to be protected from all forms of exploitation and victimisation was carried by members across all parties, with resources already earmarked to tackle both current cases and investigations into historic allegations.

A “cold case” team from the council and West Yorkshire Police will revisit potential abuse cases from the past in the wake of the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham, and the motion talked of the authority’s “deep regret” at not dealing with all previous allegations in the proper manner.

“All victims’ stories will be investigated, and all victims will be given support to rebuild their lives,” said council leader, Councillor David Green, who seconded the motion. “We will support anyone who has information that will bring the perpetrators of child abuse to justice.

“This is always going to be our number-one priority.

“We owe it to every individual victim to give the best service we possibly can, and every young person in this district deserves our protection.”

The motion was put forward by Councillor Ralph Berry, executive member for children’s services at the Labour-led council, who said all 90 elected members needed to commit to tackling child sexual abuse.

Under the terms of the motion, every member will be able to access training and information on how to identify potential cases of child sexual exploitation and know the procedure to access the most appropriate support.

“We’ve got to make sure the victim is at the heart of everything we do,” said Councillor Berry.

“We need support for prevention and for prosecutions, and it is vital we lead by example. We need to encourage young people to know their boundaries and identify the risks.”

Councillor Simon Cooke, deputy leader of the Conservative group, said the motion demonstrated a willingness of the council to act on the issue.

“We have failed too many young people, and we have to understand our errors and where we went wrong,” he said. “We need to know how many victims there were, and who is at risk now. Messages need to be reinforced about sexual behaviour through words and deeds of those who lead communities.”

The Liberal Democrat group supported the motion, but asked if there was a Bradford equivalent of the Jay Report in Rotherham, calling for an independent inquiry into the progress made investigating child sexual exploitation across the district.

Councillor Geoff Reid said: “We need more scrutiny to safeguard our children’s liberties. When that is missing, the consequences can be tragic.”