Fostering row will not disappear

Let’s not forget that during his watch this whole disgraceful episode has come to light, and that people under his leadership have been responsible for the events that have been allowed to take place.

The position or function of a leader is a person who guides or directs a group to achieve a common set of desirable objectives. It is not one who holds his hands up and says ‘not me or my colleagues guv’ when such serious events take place.

A few years ago, a cross channel ferry sank and people died because bow doors were not closed when the ship departed, and water flooded in. At the inquest, the Captain tried to suggest that it was not his responsibility because it was not his job to close the doors. Of course this view was not accepted, by accepting his salary and his role as leader, he was responsible for the duties of the whole crew serving on the ship, and he was subsequently found negligent in this duty.

I suggest the analogy is quite clear, and by his intransigence and failure to act, Mr Kimber is now inextricably embroiled in the whole sorry mess surrounding RMBC social services. To any observer the department is badly managed, poorly organised and its failures are clearly endemic. His support may be admirable, but it is clearly misguided and ill judged. Both he and Mrs Thacker should go and go now, aswhen the next revelation occurs they will have no choice.

I was pleased to see that the Tory councillors feel the fostering matter is not resolved to their satisfaction, a fact they should make Michael Gove aware of, and that social services will remain an open sore, continuing to blight this town unless and until RMBC accepts its culpability and acts appropriately.

RBMC need to get it through their vacuous minds that these issues are not going away anytime soon.