Oldham child sexual abuse: Calls for public inquiry defeated

Members of the public gathered for the heated meeting at the town hall

Calls by opposition councillors for a government-led public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham were defeated at a town hall meeting.

It comes after a recent report found children were failed by the agencies meant to protect them from abuse.

The Failsworth Independent Party had tabled a motion asking the chief executive to write to the government requesting a public inquiry.

But Labour councillors approved an amended motion without this request.

Conservative member Robert Barnes described it as a "travesty", adding it was "the night that democracy died in Oldham".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the three-hour meeting on Wednesday was turbulent from start to finish and the public gallery was again filled with many angry residents.

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The Failsworth Independents wanted the chief executive to write to the Home Secretary and Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government requesting a "fully independent and broad-ranging" public inquiry "as soon as is practically possible".

Councillor Brian Hobin, from Failsworth Independents, said: "We can't move on.

"Multiple failings have happened - general apologies; no good.

"We need a public inquiry, an independent one to tell us who failed and why, to tell us who knew and why and who did nothing about it and why."

'What benefit?'

However, the Labour group had tabled an amendment to the motion that removed the section about a public inquiry.

The amendment stated that dedicated resources should be recruited or redeployed to support the work of Operation Sherwood instead.

Operation Sherwood is a fresh police investigation into the child sexual abuse in Oldham and was launched following the publication of the review.

Council leader Amanda Chadderton, who moved the amendment, said: "We want to see improvements for children and young people and see the people that committed these disgusting crimes brought to justice.

"The original motion doesn't explain what benefit at all a public inquiry would have, either providing improvements to our assurance for today's children and young people or seeking justice for historic victims of abuse."

The amendment was approved by all Labour councillors despite opposition from the Failsworth Independents, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

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