LABOUR and the Tories united tonight in calling on the Government to address the growing crisis in social care funding.

In a rare joint motion, they agreed that the leaders of both parties on the Council would seek urgent talks with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt about the situation in Bradford.

The meeting saw the opposition Conservative leader, Councillor Simon Cooke, attack his own party for failing to address the problem and “not treating local government as a partner” - a speech which garnered a standing ovation from Conservative councillors.

He said while the word ‘crisis’ was often over-used in politics, the lack of funding for care for the elderly and disabled was bordering on one.

He said: “I actually think that as far as local government is concerned, this situation on social care is actually pretty damn close to being a real, genuine crisis.

“When the chairman of the Local Government Association, who is a Tory - and if anyone knows [Lord] Gary Porter, they will know you don’t get much more Tory than Gary Porter - when he says to ministers, ‘Will you just grow up on this’, you know it’s a problem.”

Councillor Val Slater, Labour’s deputy leader of the Council, said the authority was minded to place a three per cent social care levy on council tax bill this year to raise more funds, but described the move as a “sticking plaster”.

Cllr Slater said they wanted to meet Mr Hunt “to give our version, to explain to him what our reality is like”.

She added: “It is important we get a chance to meet the minister together.”

Only the Liberal Democrats refused to back the motion, with their leader, Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, saying she disagreed with the idea of imposing a social care precept on council tax bills, because of the “burden it places on the poorest people in Bradford”.

The first meeting of the Full Council in 2017 also saw all parties unite behind another motion, this time on female genital mutilation (FGM).

The motion, put forward by Councillor Joanne Dodds (Lab, Great Horton), saw the authority pledge its support to the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, which takes place annually on February 6.

Cllr Dodds praised the work of Bradford-based charity Peacemaker International in campaigning against the practice.

She said: “It is child abuse, it is a crime and it poses a risk to physical and mental health.”

Councillor Alun Griffiths (Lib Dem, Idle and Thackley), who works as a GP in the district, said he was well aware that FGM was “a genuine problem in Bradford today”.

He said: “This is not just a worthy motion about supporting a very good cause that doesn’t affect us. This is a real problem today.”