A 'COLD case' team set up to investigate historic child sex abuse in Bradford may have to turn to the Government for cash to fund the work.

West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Council are teaming up to revisit potential abuse cases from the past to try to bring perpetrators to justice, following the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham.

But as budgets are tight, they are expected to make the case for extra Government funding to help pay for these investigations.

A motion going before a meeting of the full Council next week talks about the authority's "deep regret" at not dealing with abuse allegations rigorously enough in the past, and says the Council now wants to do all it can to help victims come forward.

The motion has been put forward by Councillor Ralph Berry, executive member for children's services at the Labour-led council, who said it had the support of all the council's political parties, large and small.

It says the Council wants to "express our deep regret that in the past, like other organisations nationally, West Yorkshire Police and Bradford Council did not have the rigorous and co-ordinated approach to dealing with allegations of child sexual exploitation that we have developed in recent years".

So far, a handful of potential victims have come forward in Bradford, but the authorities expect this number to grow, with people feeling they are now more likely to be believed.

The motion going before full council on Tuesday says while the council will set aside extra resources to support police investigations into historic sex abuse cases, they may also need Government help.

Cllr Berry said across the country, so-called 'cold cases' from 20 years ago or more were now being re-examined using new techniques and processes.

He said: "It is very clear that will lead to investigations that will cost time, effort and money."

But Cllr Berry said he didn't want "issues that, quite rightly, need to be dealt with from the past" to drain resources from the authorities' current child-protection work.

He said: "It is a pressure on us, but we believe this is an issue across the whole country and we believe any sensible government will look at that."

The motion also stresses the role that councillors play in flagging up potential abuse, and recommends extra training to help them spot the signs.

Superintendent Vince Firth, of Bradford district police, has conceded that in the past opportunities were missed to keep children safe.

Yesterday, he said there were now robust procedures in place to target offenders and support victims.

He said: "Child sexual exploitation of any kind ruins victims’ lives and will not be tolerated."