Commission for child sex abuse victims proposed

The commission would be able to weigh in on how Oldham Council should deal with historic failings

An independent panel to address concerns about child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Oldham will be set up if Labour continues to run the council.

The party lost overall control of the town in the recent elections, but is still the largest group on the council.

Talks continue apace to decide who will lead it, and Labour said its Independent Survivors’ Commission (ISC) would allow victims and survivors to lead on how CSE is tackled.

Two years ago, a Greater Manchester Combined Authority review found that Oldham Council’s response to historic allegations had been "inadequate".

'Horrendous experiences'

The ISC would be able to weigh in on how Oldham Council should deal with its historic failings and whether the scope of the review – which focussed on 2011 to 2014 - should be reconsidered.

Labour leader Arooj Shah said the commission would be "independent of the council and the influence of politics".

"Some in our borough suffered unimaginable hurt and horror and they need to be heard," she said.

"We are looking to work with colleagues to ensure vulnerable people who were failed by those in authority have access to justice."

Maggie Oliver, the former Greater Manchester detective who exposed the Rochdale grooming scandal, said she hoped an independent commission would see politics removed from the CSE debate.

"We welcome any move that gives the opportunity for survivors to be heard," she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Their horrendous experiences should not be used for political point scoring.

"The devil is in the detail with these things but it gives some hope that this important issue is being taken out of political chambers and put into the hands of those who are experts by experience."