Gangs are still sexually exploiting children in Rotherham and city leaders are failing to act, claim politicians

Tories on Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council say they have been gathering intelligence over the last six months which suggests that girls and boys are still being groomed, trafficked and raped.

They say the information comes from a number of sources, including abuse survivors, youth workers, members of the community and concerned council workers.

The group also claim they have passed all of their intelligence onto the police, who have failed to act, and the Labour-run council, which is “committed to the idea that child sexual exploitation is part of Rotherham’s past, not its present.”

Back in 2014, an independent inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay ordered the council to address “blatant” failures and improve safeguarding measures after an estimated 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

In a report published today, the Conservative councillors say exploitation "may be occuring on the same scale as in the past" but this “cannot be known at present” because the response to the information they have gathered “has been poor”.

The allegations are due to be discussed at a council meeting on November 10, but Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, said most of the intelligence which has been handed to police by councillors is "so vague that little could be done with it”.

Councillor Emily Barley, leader of Rotherham’s Conservative group, said: “Councillors and council officers are invested in the idea that child sexual exploitation is in the past.

“We’re not sure whether it’s incompetence or cover up, but either way it’s not good enough. If we can figure this out in just a few months, it’s difficult to understand how the Council, police, and other local political parties could not know about it.

“Rotherham needs to realise that organised criminal gangs don’t just disappear overnight, and that we need to be constantly working to get ahead of them and protect children.

“Every day that the council refuses to accept there’s a problem, children are being groomed, raped, and trafficked.”

She added: “The recent individual cases I have heard about are absolutely heart-breaking, and seven years after the Jay Report there is simply no excuse for doing nothing about it.”

Suzanne Joyner, director of Children’s Services in Rotherham, said the council takes all allegations of abuse “very seriously” and it works with the police and charities to tackle this issue and protect children.

“Rotherham’s approach has been independently inspected and found to be successful in reducing the risks to our young people,” she said.

“Where intelligence is received relating to potential child sexual exploitation, this is reviewed on a regular basis, with police and social workers taking the necessary steps to safeguard children where necessary.

“Clearly not every allegation will be validated once it has been properly investigated. Based on the information we have received, this process seems to have been followed fully in relation to the allegations made by the councillors.”

Dr Billings said: “Every piece of information they supplied has been followed up, but most of it was so vague that little could be done with it.

“The only hard evidence was a car registration number, but there is no vehicle with that number.

“Most of the information provided was vague or speculative – yet valuable police time was spent testing it out.

“They say that the council and police believe CSE is only in the past. This is untrue.”