Rotherham: Conservatives claim CSE in town is 'being ignored'

One abuse survivor said Rotherham still had a serious problem with child sexual exploitation

The scale of sexual exploitation and abuse of children in Rotherham is being ignored by the council and police, a group of councillors have claimed.

Rotherham Conservative Group said it found "multiple examples" of abuse which had been passed to police but branded their response as poor.

The group's allegations include girls being sold for sex from a takeaway.

South Yorkshire's police commissioner refuted the claims while the council said allegations were taken seriously.

In 2014, the Jay Report detailed how at least 1,400 children were raped, trafficked and abused in the town between 1997 and 2013.

It criticised the lack of action by police and social workers and provoked a wave of resignations and inquiries.

Councillor Emily Barley, leader of Rotherham Conservatives, said they set up a working group earlier this year to examine whether child sexual exploitation (CSE) was still an ongoing issue.

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said all information had been followed up

She said it was hoped after an investigation, the group, comprised of Conservative councillors, would find CSE was no longer a problem within the Labour-run authority.

"Sadly, that was not what was found," Ms Barley said.

"It very quickly became clear that CSE is a continuing problem in Rotherham, that police action is seriously lacking, and that the council is committed to the idea that CSE is part of Rotherham's past, not its present."

The report alleged it found examples of grooming and CSE in Rawmarsh, Wath, Greasbrough, Eastwood and Clifton.

It claimed girls were being picked up by older Asian men in cars late at night from allotments, parks and takeaways.

The report said where intelligence had been passed to police, it had "been unable to identify any action taken".

At least 1,400 children as young as 11 were sexually abused in the town from 1997- 2013

One abuse survivor spoken to by the BBC said Rotherham still had a serious problem and that "perpetrators have got cleverer".

"There has been quite a lot of concern around different areas and I think why aren't they dealing with this intelligence," she added.

However, Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), dismissed the report as "vague" and "inaccurate".

He 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 evidence with that number.

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

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The PCC said the National Crime Agency had 200 detectives working on historic cases of CSE in Rotherham and police were dealing with 35 active cases with 29 suspects arrested.

He pointed to findings by Ofsted in 2017 and 2020 which "noted the way the council and police worked in partnership to safeguard the children of Rotherham".

As a result of the report, Rotherham Conservatives have tabled a motion ahead of a meeting on 10 November calling on the council to do more.

Sharon Kemp, chief executive of the Labour-run authority, said CSE was still happening across the country and "Rotherham was no different".

She said there was a multi-agency team in place which worked closely with community groups to share intelligence and take action.

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