Government intervention in Rotherham Council ends Sunday

An initial team of five — appointed in February 2015 — has dropped to three as powers have gradually been returned to the borough council.

And communities secretary James Brokenshire has now called time on the intervention — five months earlier than initially planned.

He said: “Vulnerable young people who should have been protected were repeatedly failed by Rotherham Council, which is why the Government stepped in to ensure these errors can never occur again.

“I am pleased that strong progress has now been made at the council with the support of the commissioners.

“The return of all powers is not a decision that I take lightly, but I am satisfied that the council has learnt the lessons of the past and is now able to provide the services its residents deserve and expect.”

The commissioners were appointed after the Casey report declared Rotherham Borough Council unfit for purpose in the wake of the child sex scandal.

They wrote to the Government describing the turnaround after an independent healthcheck report in the spring.

Children’s services were always expected to be the last department handed back to local control — and were given a “good” rating from Ofsted earlier this year.

The Government's decision means RMBC regains full control of all services from Monday.

Leader Cllr Chris Read said: "The confirmation of the early departure of commissioners is testimony to the hard work of many people over the last few years.

"The announcement comes on the back of our 'good' Ofsted report for children's services earlier in the year.

"That our children's services have been transformed has been a critical indicator of the changes that we have made. But it has only been one part of challenging, re-examining, and improving the way we work and the culture of the council.

"We could not be where we are today if it wasn’t for the dedication of lots of people – our staff, partner agencies, commissioners and councillors, who were all united in determination that the people of Rotherham should be better served than they had been in the past. My thanks go to all those people today.

"I'm delighted with the progress that we have made. Whilst the work is never complete and we continue to face significant challenges, I hope that residents will be able to take assurance that we are firmly on the right track."

Another independent review must take place before the end of March 2019, the Government has said.