Oldham CSE report: A chance to quiz Oldham’s senior politicians
Date published: 23 June 2022
The meeting will take place next Monday
Residents will have the chance to ask questions of the leadership of Oldham Council following the publication of the Independent Review into Child Sexual Exploitation in Oldham.
An Extraordinary General Meeting has been arranged for next week, and residents are being encouraged to ask questions about the review.
The report – delivered on Monday – was highly critical of Oldham Council and Greater Manchester Police, though dismissed allegations that there had been an organised cover-up of events.
In particular, the case of ‘Sophie’ – who was first referred to Children’s Services at the age of 12 - who the report says was let down by the council and GMP, following a string of failures and missed opportunities.
Following the reports publication, Oldham Council Leader, Amanda Chadderton admitted it made “very difficult reading”.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Cllr Chadderton said: “I will never pretend to be able to understand fully what she went through, but it’s clear that the council and the police failed in our duty of care towards her – both as a child, and the subsequent responses to her as an adult. For that, I am truly sorry.
“It is clear that, at the time, the police and the local authority did not understand enough about this horrendous crime and how best to support and protect its victims.
“Much has changed since then. We’ve learned from similar reports and reviews from around the country. From changes to national guidelines and from best practice - and the way we deal with victims of this terrible abuse is now completely different.”
Now an Extraordinary General Meeting has been called to discuss all the issues raised in the report.
Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions at the meeting. If you would like to ask a question, please click here.
The meeting will take place in the council chamber at the civic centre on Monday 27 June at 6pm.
The deadline for submitting a question is 12pm on Sunday 26 June.
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