Shropshire Star

Telford child sex exploitation: Abuse is still an issue here, says councillor

A councillor says she supports calls for a dedicated independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Telford because she believes it is still a problem in the borough.

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Councillor Nicola Lowery

The opposition Conservative group has requested an extraordinary full council meeting to call on the Labour-run authority to fund ‘an immediate local independent inquiry into all aspects of historical and current instances of child sexual exploitation within the borough of Telford and Wrekin’.

Among those signing the motion is Conservative Councillor Nicola Lowery, who represents the Ironbridge Gorge ward.

She said she was backing the call for an extraordinary meeting because she believes CSE is still a problem in Telford.

“I feel that a council-commissioned inquiry would enable the council to set the terms of reference and they would then independently appoint a chair or judge to commission that inquiry, lead that inquiry," said Councillor Lowery.

“The government has been very clear from the beginning, as has the national Jay inquiry, if councils feel there is evidence or suspicion still of CSE taking place in their local areas that they should lead on this and they should be the ones to make sure that victims have their voices heard.

“We feel it is absolutely necessary to make sure this inquiry proceeds at the earliest opportunity.”

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Tory leader leader Andrew Eade has tabled the motion, seconded by Conservative Councillor Nigel Dugmore.

It asks for an inquiry to take place as soon as possible and for a cross-party working group to be appointed immediately.

The council has called for any inquiry to be commissioned by the government, saying it would be given wider scope and also be seen as free of any potential vested interests.

The authority says it is awaiting an official response from the Home Office, but a spokesman from the government department previously announced that the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) would look at failings by institutions in towns and cities across the country, including Telford.

An inquiry into the child sexual exploitation scandal in Rotherham was commissioned by the local council and not the government.

Councillors Eade and Dugmore believe a similar inquiry is needed in Telford.

Joint statement

Making a joint statement, they said: “We first called for an independent inquiry at a full council meeting in September 2016.

“This was followed by a letter to the Home Secretary Amber Rudd, during early October 2016, in which we repeated this call. We also expressed our concern at the authority’s flawed intention to await the Alexis Jay inquiry and refused point blank to sign a letter from Telford & Wrekin Council to the Home Secretary which suggested that option.

“The IICSA has made it explicitly clear that it is a matter for Telford & Wrekin Council to decide on whether it wishes to undertake an independent inquiry.

“We believe that a local inquiry is essential to root out CSE issues specific to Telford and that the resulting 15 month delay in getting an investigation underway has not helped past, present, or future victims in any way and only added to their distress.”

Siobhan Crawford, associate solicitor at Bolt Burdon Kemp, also believes there needs to be an inquiry.

However, she said it should not “piggyback on the national inquiry” because it could lead to survivors having to wait years for answers.

Telford & Wrekin Council does not believe a council-led inquiry would give the victims, or public, the answers they seek.

The authority says it cannot compel witnesses outside of the council to give evidence and its remit would be limited to the period since the council has existed.

However, the council said it “will of course happily discuss the motion and any type of inquiry at a council meeting and are looking into when this can be arranged”.

Powers

Council spokesman Russell Griffin said: “We are today again asking the Home Office and IICSA to launch a statutory inquiry into CSE in Telford.

“This would have the full powers needed to ensure an inquiry provides the answers to the many questions that the victims and public are asking.

“We will of course happily discuss the motion and any type of inquiry at a council meeting and are looking into when this can be arranged.

“In the meantime the council is urgently seeking confirmation from IICSA or the Home Office if they will hold an inquiry.

“We welcome the request to further discuss this at a council meeting and will clearly state the steps we are taking to tackle CSE in Telford – however there is no council in the country that can say it CSE not happening where they are. This is a national issue.

“We accept and regret that some historic practices were not effective 10 to 20 years ago. But so were services right across the country because awareness of CSE was then very different from now. Some incidents referred to in recent media reports pre-date the council.”

The national spotlight has fallen on Telford over the issue after a report published in the Sunday Mirror claimed there could have been as many as 1,000 victims of the offence over the past 40 years.

Telford police Superintendent Tom Harding described the story as ‘sensationalised’, and said he had no idea where the numbers had come from.

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