CSE – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

07Sep 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government ministers refuse Oldham Liberal Democrats request for a public inquiry into child sex exploitation

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence, Parliamentary news

Home Office minister Amanda Solloway MP has ruled out an independent public inquiry into child sex exploitation in Oldham. Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE wrote to the Home Office back in July urging Conservative ministers to open a full and independent public inquiry into the failings of Greater Manchester Police, Oldham Council and other services that resulted in horrendous cases of child sexual abuse. In his letter to the Home Secretary, Councillor Sykes said: “I hope you will use your position to show people in Oldham that failure to protect children can never be accepted in our public institutions. It is only through meticulously investigating these failings that we can have true accountability and begin to earn back the trust of the people of Oldham.” But the…

07Sep 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Council bosses secretly blacklist twelve

Borough news, CSE, fairer council

After recent chaotic council meetings, Oldham Council bosses have not only beefed up security, but also secretly blacklisted 12 people who are banned from attending council meetings. Liberal Democrat Councillor Mark Kenyon said: “My colleague noticed security staff with a list of names and photos of 12 people. He was told they were the people banned from Oldham Council meetings.” The councillor for Grotton, Springhead and Lees has requested a copy of the blacklist from senior council officers only to be turned down. He continues: “Behaviour at council meetings from some people – both councillors and those watching – has been abhorrent and behaviour does need to improve but banning people and keeping that ban secret is just plain wrong. Me and my colleagues were elected, in part, to ask…

24Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Change in law barring sex offenders from standing for or holding elected office is welcomed

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence, fairer council

After years of campaigning, Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has welcomed the news that laws will be changed to prevent people on the sex offenders register holding elected office. Councillor Sykes said: “I am pleased that the common-sense law change is finally coming into effect. Rishi Sunak announced that the government would adopt this proposal back when he was a Local Government Minister in 2018 but he’s dragged his feet on getting the law changed.” The changes to the Local Government Act were finally put before MPs in June and were signed off by both Houses of Parliament on July 6th. The Statuary Instruments (S.I) to make this law have now also been approved. The new regulations come into effect immediately for all local elections in England.…

26Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats write to Home Secretary demanding public inquiry into CSE failings

Borough news, CSE

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to the Home Secretary – Priti Patel – calling on her to open an independent public inquiry into child sex exploitation in Oldham and Greater Manchester. In his letter to the Home Secretary, Councillor Sykes said: “I hope you will use your position to show people in Oldham that failure to protect children can never be accepted in our public institutions. It is only through meticulously investigating these failings that we can have true accountability and begin to earn back the trust of the people of Oldham.” The issue of child sex abuse has dominated Oldham council meetings since the report was published, leading to heated council meetings. But so far Labour have blocked calls in council meetings to call…

23Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Burnham must face further questions

Borough news, CSE

Liberal Democrats say Andy Burnham must come to Oldham to answer questions on Greater Manchester Police special measures Liberal Democrats call on Andy Burnham to come to Oldham to answer questions on Greater Manchester Police special measures. At a meeting of Oldham’s Full Council, Liberal Democrat councillors called on Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to come to Oldham to field questions from councillors on the state of Greater Manchester Police. Liberal Democrat Councillor for Saddleworth West and Lees, Sam Al-Hamdani said, “Politically accountability has been lacking throughout the time that Greater Manchester Police has been in special measures. Will the Leader of the Council write to Mayor Burnham asking him to come to Oldham to field questions from councillors on the ongoing situation affecting Greater Manchester Police – as he…

23Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

GMP ignore Council warning that DBS checks no good

Borough news, CSE

Oldham Liberal Democrats have discovered that despite Oldham Council warning Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in December 2018 that the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS check) wasn’t good enough for taxi licensing, the Council still haven’t had a promised response. The recent Assurance Review into historic CSE in Oldham found that GMP initially ignored the Council’s concerns about the working of DBS checks for taxi licensing submitted in December 2018 but the new Chief Constable of GMP, Stephen Watson, had responded to the Council’s concerns set out in a letter in December 2018. The report did not detail when Stephen Watson replied or what his reply contained. Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead & Lees, said: “We’ve quizzed Council further and they’ve confirmed that whilst Stephen Watson was appointed…

23Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Council and GMP – no action against CSE failure staff

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence

Oldham Liberal Democrats have discovered that, despite Oldham Council’s and Greater Manchester Police’s assurances that processes to deal with Child Sexual Exploitation have changed extensively, they have also confirmed that no disciplinary actions have so far been taken with any staff still employed who took part in the failures described in the report. The recent Assurance Review into historic CSE in Oldham found that both GMP and Oldham Council had failed numerous children who were suffering horrific abuse. Twelve year old Sophie was sexually abused multiple times over multiple occasions and many of the incidents were known to GMP and Council staff who did not respond appropriately. Both GMP and Oldham Council have confirmed that, whilst many of the staff involved have either left or retired, no remaining staff have…

18Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Calm during Council chaos

Borough news, CSE, health and social care

In another extraordinarily chaotic Council meeting last night, councillors from all parties managed to put aside rancour for a few minutes to support a Liberal Democrat motion on child safeguarding. Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead & Lees, said: ”The recent report into CSE in the borough is a challenge for the Council to do things differently. My motion, which was passed last night, is a straightforward response that we can do straight away – it will mean that every single time council makes a decision, it’ll be explicitly weighed against the potential risk to children and on the level of Council spending locally. “A lot of the time politics in this borough seems to be a pantomime and last night’s meeting was no exception. I’m appalled with…

11Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Putting local children first

Borough news, CSE, fairer council

Oldham & Saddleworth’s Liberal Democrat councillors have said that the report into historic safeguarding and CSE in the borough is a challenge to put children at the heart of everything the Council does and so have submitted a motion for the next Council Meeting on 13th July. Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead & Lees, said: “The implications of Newsam & Ridgway’s report will take a long while to unpick – we have 50 outstanding questions alone – but there’s two things we can do straight away to make a change. Our motion for the next Council meeting asks that all future Council decisions made either by officers or councillors be explicitly weighed against the potential risk to children and on the level of Council spending locally.” Mark…

08Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

50 questions for Burnham and council bosses

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence

Liberal Democrat councillors have said that the report into historic safeguarding and CSE in the borough is just the start of a rigorous investigation into what went wrong for Sophie and other children. They have submitted 50 questions to Council Chief Executive Harry Catherall, Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham and to the authors of the report, Gary Newsam and Malcolm Ridgway. Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead & Lees, said: “The report raises more questions than it answers. It was intended to give us all assurance that CSE was and is being targeted effectively. While these questions are outstanding, none of us can have that assurance.” Questions being asked include: why the reports authors weren’t allowed free access to GMP records, why only half of the 104 people…

Category: CSE