Rotherham Council set for Government grooming probe

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles (pictured) announced that the borough council — guilty of “clearly documented failures” — will be inspected by Louise Casey, who heads the Government’s Troubled Families programme, and could be run from Whitehall depending on the inquiry’s findings.

Mr Pickles said: “The inspection will review current governance arrangements, how the council can improve the delivery of services to children and young people, taxi licensing, and how the council works with other providers and can improve care.

“It will also look at the capacity of Rotherham Borough Council to address the issues identified by the Jay report.”

The inspection will include whether the council:

q allows for adequate scrutiny by councillors.

q covers up information, and whether “whistle-blowers” are silenced.

q took and continues to take appropriate action against staff guilty of gross misconduct.

q was and continues to be subject to institutionalised political correctness, affecting its decision-making on sensitive issues.

q undertook and continues to undertake sufficient liaisons with other agencies, particularly the police, local health partners, and the safeguarding board.

q took and continues to take sufficient steps to ensure only ‘fit and proper persons’ were permitted to hold a taxi licence.

q is now taking steps address effectively past and current weaknesses or shortcomings in the exercise of its functions, and has the capacity to continue to do so.

Mr Pickles said: “One of the most important duties of local authorities is the protection of vulnerable children.

“With clearly documented failures by the council on so many levels, I have decided to take the rare step of a statutory inspection, which I believe is in the public interest.

“We cannot undo the permanent harm that these children have suffered. But we can learn from what went wrong and make sure that all local authorities deliver on their essential duty to protect vulnerable children.”