Child sexual exploitation victims received an apology from Rochdale Council in a report released yesterday, which found leaders failed to do enough to prevent the terrible crimes.
The independent review, carried out by AKA Limited, was issued by chief executive Jim Taylor last year after nine men were jailed for running a child-sex ring.
The report also provides a damning indictment of his predecessor Roger Ellis, stating there was no evidence to show he had any intention of investigating the issue.
“It is clear from this review that some children were let down by Rochdale Council,” said Mr Taylor, who took office last April.
“On behalf of the council, I am deeply sorry these young people did not get the care and support they deserved.
“This review paints a poor picture of the way elements of Rochdale Council has previously been run.
“Hard-working, dedicated staff were also let down by some senior managers who appear to have shown no leadership and taken no responsibility.
“I am absolutely determined to ensure these mistakes are never repeated.
The review involved face-to-face interviews with members of staff past and present and an examination of the authority’s children’s services, licensing and legal departments.
It makes 16 recommendations, including that the council reviews the ways it suspends and revokes licences for taxi drivers and fast food outlets
The report’s author, consultant Anna Klonowski, wrote how Mr Ellis ruled with ‘a lack of consistent senior leadership and direction in relation to child sexual exploitation’.
She also states the former chief ‘did not appear to be interested in children’s social care issues’.
Rochdale MP Simon Danzcuk has since labelled the report a ‘damning indictment’ of a failed management.
“This report shows that there were alarm bells going off all over the place and they were ignored,” he said.
“Senior officers turned a blind eye to child abuse and didn’t want to know. The perpetrators of these terrible crimes and some senior council officers have brought shame on our town.
“A combination of dismissive attitudes, a toxic culture that viewed rape victims as making lifestyle choices and excessive bureaucracy that was bereft of common sense allowed horrible abuse to go on in our Borough for far too long.”
Mr Danzcuk insists it is wrong that the former CEO be allowed to escape under the veil of early retirement and has called on Rochdale’s councillors to name and shame.
“The council now needs to tell us what the full package Roger Ellis and other implicated senior officers left with,” he added.
“If Roger Ellis has one iota of decency he will return this money for the mess he left Rochdale in.”
However council leader Colin Lambert said afterwards he ‘strongly’ disagreed that the problem could be described as an ‘Asian crime’.
The Labour man told MPs it was ‘too easy to badge a community’ and there were ‘issues’ across the country.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
