The government will help Oldham council set up its own local inquiry into child sexual exploitation after the council's request for a government-led inquiry was rejected. This follows years of debate over who should lead a review into Oldham's history of grooming gangs.
Oldham has been at the centre of an almighty row over grooming gangs - but this is only the latest chapter in a long story.
The independent assurance review into child sexual exploitation commissioned by the Greater Manchester mayor identified serious failings in Oldham, but found 'no evidence' of a cover-up. This conclusion sparked renewed calls for the government to lead an inquiry. Former GMP detective Maggie Oliver, the whistleblower who helped expose grooming gangs in Greater Manchester over the last two decades, is among those who believes a new public inquiry is needed. She warned home secretary Yvette Cooper earlier today that she would take her to court if the recommendations of the last national inquiry are not implemented in full.
But Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor in the North West who secured the first major convictions of grooming gangs in Rochdale 12 years ago, believes that locally-led inquiries are the best way forward. And he points to Telford's inquiry as a prime example of that. "Independent local inquiries give contextual understanding, have community trust, allow for specialisation and more focused resources, give a quicker response and have autonomy and accountability."
Responding to the announcement, Oldham council leader Arooj Shah said: "We welcome this announcement and indeed any action that the government takes to establish genuinely survivor-led inquiries into historical sexual abuse. Survivors must be at the heart of any inquiry into these horrendous failings. Oldham’s survivors can be confident that by involving someone of the stature of Tom Crowther KC they will have a voice and a stake in our inquiry.
CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION GROOMING GANGS OLDHAM INQUIRY GOVERNMENT FUNDING
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