New CSE inquiry chair is announced

It is understood further information about Oldham’s role within the national inquiry will follow the announcement of the chair later today

The Home Secretary has announced the new chair of the national inquiry into grooming gangs, after months of delays.

Former children’s commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield will lead the report, which will look into cases of child sexual exploitation in towns across the country, including areas like Oldham.

Longfield’s position was confirmed in the Commons by Shabana Mahmood today, where MPs will be reviewing the inquiry’s terms of reference.

The national inquiry looked to be in jeopardy earlier this year, when five survivors of child sexual assault quit the panel and demanded the resignation of Jess Phillips as Home Secretary.

The move was in part a response to the two previous candidates for the chair role, former police officer Jim Gamble and the social worker Annie Hudson, who later withdrew their candidacies.

The full national inquiry was first announced in June, following a recommendation made by Baroness Louise Casey in her rapid audit looking at the scale of grooming gangs across the country.

Oldham Council were due to launch a new local inquiry at the beginning of this year after the government initially rejected their request for a national inquiry.

This local inquiry was later put on pause, due to uncertainties about how it would fit into a wider inquiry. 

The complications have left several survivors in Oldham in deep uncertainty, an experience they have described as ‘re-traumatising’.

Oldham Council has officially welcomed the Government’s announcement today of the leadership and draft terms of reference for a full statutory national inquiry into grooming gangs, following the announcement of the inquiry Chair and Panel members.

The council also welcomes the confirmation that Oldham will be prioritised as one of the first areas for local investigation.

Additionally, the council welcomes the intention of the Chair to visit Oldham in the New Year to meet with survivors and local partners.

The council has pledged to work closely with the inquiry to ensure that those who have waited too long for answers have the opportunity to be listened to and believed.

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