Protesters visited City Hall in their hundreds tonight to hand in petitions on two thorny issues – cuts and housebuilding.

Both matters were discussed at a heated meeting of the full Council.

Before the meeting, two separate public demonstrations were held on opposite sides of the building.

On the Hall Ings side were people fighting the loss of green belt land as part of the Council’s Local Plan – a blueprint which sets out where homes and jobs will go between now and 2030.

And in Centenary Square, Bradford College students and trade unions protested against proposed cuts to the Council’s youth service.

In the meeting, Bradford College Student Union president Piers Telemaque took to verse, saying it was unfair for young people to be punished for an economic situation which wasn’t their fault.

He said: “I’ll tell you what’s a shame. You are not old enough to vote, but you are old enough to blame.”

The Council’s Local Plan also provoked heated debate. Councillors were discussing whether to proceed with its Core Strategy, which does not yet earmark specific sites for development but sets out the overall aims and the number of homes to be built.

Protesters handed in petitions calling for the Council to think again before signing up to a plan which included releasing green belt land for development.