Telford child sex exploitation debate to be held in Westminster

Town MP Lucy Allan, who has secured the debate on Tuesday at Westminster Hall, said she would be using it to call once again for an independent review into why it took so long for the issue to come to light.

Seven men were jailed for a total of nearly 50 years as a result of Operation Chalice in 2012, a police investigation into a gang that was running an organised child sex ring in the borough.

A recent Ofsted inspection praised the work being done by Telford & Wrekin Council to tackle child sex exploitation now, while an inquiry by the Child Safeguarding Board said great strides were being made. But Ms Allan said there was still a need to look historically at what went wrong.

She said: "It is the job of an MP to ensure that they are the voice of their constituents in Parliament. This is a difficult issue to confront but we must make sure we do not shy away from discussing it. I will be setting out the reasons why I am calling for an independent review of historic child sexual exploitation in Telford.

"I have met with victims, the council and police over recent weeks.

"It is vital for victims that they feel their voices are heard. There is often silence, stigma and shame attached to this issue.

"There can be a sense of victim blaming with insufficient emphasis on the perpetrators.

"There was a successful prosecution of a grooming gang in Telford and the council's recent report into CSE was thorough and highlighted the good work that is currently being done in this area.

"It did not however, reference what went wrong in the past and why the issue did not come to light at an earlier stage.

"I think it is so important to stress that CSE is not child prostitution. No child being bought and sold for sex is participating in a consensual transaction."

The debate will take place from 4pm to 4.30pm on Tuesday.