Liberal Democrat councillors have said that the report into historic safeguarding and CSE in the borough is just the start of a rigorous investigation into what went wrong for Sophie and other children. They have submitted 50 questions to Council Chief Executive Harry Catherall, Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham and to the authors of the report, Gary Newsam and Malcolm Ridgway.
Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead & Lees, said: “The report raises more questions than it answers. It was intended to give us all assurance that CSE was and is being targeted effectively. While these questions are outstanding, none of us can have that assurance.”
Questions being asked include: why the reports authors weren’t allowed free access to GMP records, why only half of the 104 people identified in the report were interviewed, why Sophie’s aunt was advised to keep quiet about her concerns about Sophie “dating” much older men, why Sophie’s case was closed by social care even after they knew of her terrible ordeal, and how are intelligence reports into CSE being shared throughout GMP considering the failure of their new IT system (iOPS).
As well as asking who made these decisions, and if disciplinary actions has now followed, they also ask how procedures have changed to make sure these failures cannot happen again.
Liberal Democrat Councillor, Sam Al-Hamdani concluded: “We think it is important to know the answers to all of these questions promptly, without evasion and in full. Only by doing that will the Council, GMP and the Mayor begin to show that they have understood what went wrong. Responsibility for these failures is a terrible weight. However, this is insignificant when compared to the suffering that these failures have caused.”
Oldham’s Liberal Democrats have slammed Conservative ministers after research from the Conservative dominated County Councils’ Network revealed that the governments planned social care reforms would leave a £10 billion funding gap in the sector. Government Ministers had previously said that local councils would have to find their own ways to raise funds.
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “While Conservative MPs worry about who the next Prime Minister will be, the real issues like social care funding are being side-lined. The government is telling councils to cover the costs when everyone knows the money isn’t there. All the while, the social care sector is haemorrhaging staff and the government won’t even listen to their own Conservative colleagues in local government.”
In the wake of the pandemic and other pressures on social care, experts in the sector anticipate that £25.5 billion will be needed by 2032 but the government has only pledged £15.6 billion.
Councillor Sykes said, “It’s bad enough that the government is leaving such a huge shortfall and is expecting inflation busting council tax rises to plug it, but there is also the issue of getting the money the government has committed to into the frontline services where it is needed.”
Currently the government proposal is to fund social care providers indirectly, with the money going through NHS trusts. What assurances will we get that the money will fund the local services that our residents need? I suspect this will become a bureaucratic black hole and it will be our residents will pay higher taxes and lose out on services.”
Oldham & Saddleworth’s Liberal Democrat councillors have said that the report into historic safeguarding and CSE in the borough is a challenge to put children at the heart of everything the Council does and so have submitted a motion for the next Council Meeting on 13th July.
Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead & Lees, said: “the implications of Newsam & Ridgway’s report will take a long while to unpick – we have 50 outstanding questions alone – but there’s two things we can do straight away to make a change. Our motion for the next Council meeting asks that all future Council decisions made either by officers or councillors be explicitly weighed against the potential risk to children and on the level of Council spending locally”.
Mark Kenyon continues: “Whenever the Council makes a decision, it’s weighed against a range of criteria including things like how much it costs, whether more people are needed to implement the decision, if Council needs any new IT to make the decision work, are whether there are any legal risks – I’m asking for two new considerations; is there a risk to children of the borough and are we spending more or less money into the borough.”
Mark Kenyon concludes: “Kids who are at risk of CSE are often vulnerable, and one of the key vulnerabilities is poverty. Whilst on the face of it not directly related to child safety, increasing the wealth that stays in the borough will reduce poverty and reduce kids’ vulnerability to CSE. A lot of the time politics seems to be pantomime and has little affect with people’s every day lives – I’m hoping that colleagues from all parties can put that aside and come together for a simple change that will benefit all who live and work in Oldham”.
Council – Notice of Opposition Business
Liberal Democrat Motion – Making Fairer Decisions
This Council Notes that:
The administration, councillors and council officers are collectively making thousands of decisions each year, some large, many small, but all collectively have an effect on the health, wealth and welfare of the people who live and work in Oldham, Shaw, Crompton, Saddleworth, Royton, Failsworth, Lees, Chadderton and the surrounding areas.
Making our borough safer for children and young people is a key aim shared by everyone in the council chamber.
Making our borough wealthier by directing more of this Authority’s spending to local jobs and businesses is also a key aim shared by all in this chamber.
When making a decision, officers and councillors are careful to consider the full implications of that decision. The different options and the implication of the decision are weighed against specific criteria; financial, legal, the co-operative agenda, human resources, risks, IT, property, procurement, environmental and health & safety, equality, community cohesion & crime, children & young people. An equality impact assessment is also completed.
This Council believes that:
Councillors and officers should be explicitly considering the implications of making a decision on the safety of children and on Authority spending into the local economy.
Council therefore resolves to:
Direct the Chief Executive to amend the standard assessment criteria within the decision-making reports and records to include a requirement to consider the implications of the decision on:
1) the potential to increase the risk of harm to children (a context assessment). This to be included on the section dealing with Implications for Children and Young People.
2) Authority spending into the local economy. This to be included in the section on Co-Operative Agenda.
3) Direct the Chief Executive to make and introduce these changes within three months of this Council meeting. A progress report and any financial implications be reported to future cabinet meetings as and when appropriate.
Proposed: Councillor Mark Kenyon / Seconded: Councillor Hazel Gloster
The government has slashed funding for free school meals for 4–7-year-olds in Oldham by £212,797 in real terms, shocking new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. The party have slammed the government for “short-changing our children.”
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Universal Infant Free School Meals were introduced by the Liberal Democrats, to support all pupils in reception, Year 1 and Year 2. However, since the policy was introduced seven years ago, the Conservatives have increased funding per pupil by just 4 pence, from £2.30 to £2.34, or an increase of 1.7%. Had the funding increased with inflation, it would currently stand at least £2.46 per pupil. This amounts to a real-terms cut of £35.8 million this year across the UK, or £22.80 per child.”
“Free School Meals are about fairness. A good meal helps children focus in school, saving families money and giving parents peace of mind. The policy has been praised by teachers for improving attainment levels in our schools but clearly the Conservatives have never bought into the idea. This funding cut has left schools in Oldham needing to fund the extra cost from their own budget at a time when food prices continue to rise, leaving less money for textbooks, teachers and catch-up classes.”
Food prices have risen by 7% in the years since free school meals were introduced and are likely to face sharp rises in the months ahead as the cost-of-living crisis continues. Councils are now expected to foot the extra costs for free meals.
Councillor Sykes said, “The Conservatives are hitting free school meals with stealth cuts in the hope that no one will notice. Schools are now looking at cheaper alternatives for things like beef and chicken. The Government has short-changed our children and now the quality of the meals they get at lunchtime is at risk.”
Hopefully Oldham will not be included and it will be charge free
Oldham’s Liberal Democrats are calling for the government to support a no charging Clean Air Zone as new plans emerge for the next phases of CAZ today.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw councillor Howard Sykes said, “Common sense has finally prevailed on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. We welcome the proposals for a no charging Clean Air Zone. The government must not impose charges on Greater Manchester that would hurt jobs during the cost-of-living crisis.”
Councillor Sykes also said that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Andy Burnham had questions to answer.
Councillor Sykes said, “Why has it taken so long to get to this stage? It was clear that a no charging zone was the common sense approach from the outset. So why has Mayor Burnham spent time and money plastering Greater Manchester with signage and having reports written that tell us what should have ben plainly obvious at the start of this process? The Conservative Government need to back these plans and not re-introducing charging.”
Councillor Howard Sykes and Health CCG boss Mike Barker discuss the exciting plans for Shaw and Crompton’s new health centre off Westway Shaw (former baths site)
Great news Shaw and Crompton Health Centre redevelopment now back on track.
The Oldham NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have announced that plans to redevelop Shaw and Crompton Health Centre are back on track after the decision to pull the plug on the development sparked interventions from local Liberal Democrat councillors.
Shaw councillor Howard Sykes MBE said on behalf of all his Shaw and Crompton colleagues that the announcement from the CCG was “long overdue and was after hours of work behind the scenes to thrash out the problems that had held the project up.”
Councillor Sykes said, “This is great news for Shaw and Crompton. Access to modern healthcare facilities is a top priority for the people we represent. They deserve the security of knowing those services will be there when they need them. What we’ve had is a long and uncertain journey to this point over many years but by working constructively, we have now got it across the line. Liberal Democrats have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure the new health centre becomes a reality for residents.”
When the news came that the development had stalled and was potentially being axed, we set up several meetings with the CCG to get assurances that everything would be done to get this project back on track. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I have pushed for answers every step of the way and have now got the result Shaw and Crompton residents deserve. This news is very welcome indeed and is a poke in the eye for those who talk our area down and said it would never happen.”
More specific details about the redevelopment, service provisions and a start date for construction on the old baths site, on Westway will follow in due course.
Notes
Plans for new health centre scrapped – April 1st, 2022
The senior management of Oldham Council and Greater Manchester Police must take responsibility for the failings that happened in a series of cases identified in the CSE assurance review, say Oldham Liberal Democrats, ahead of tonight’s [27/06/22] council meeting to discuss the report.
The report identified a series of failings on individual cases, most notably those of Sophie, on the part of Oldham Council staff and police officers.
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Sam Al-Hamdani said: “Without responsibility, there is no assurance.
“We have been told that tonight’s meeting will provide information on how processes and procedures at the Council and GMP have changed to ensure this could not happen today. While welcome, I am incredibly frustrated there has been no indication at any point that these failings will result in those concerned being accountable for their actions.
“Social care is a very tough environment, and we are incredibly grateful to people who choose to work in it in order to help those who need it. This must not descend into a witch hunt – but we must have due process and responsibility. We want to hear how this is going to be done.”
The report also indicated that GMP provided very little information to the review, only agreeing a limited release of information in November 2021, nearly two years after the investigation began.
Howard Sykes MBE, Liberal Democrat Group leader, said: “Reading the report and what happened to these girls is deeply upsetting. It was an abuse of trust.
“I do not understand how GMP have failed to provide information to the review. I do not understand how some of these decisions were made. It has left all of us in the dark. That means the report has not yet delivered what it was meant to, and we need to answers to these questions in order for it to do so.
“We will be asking these questions – and many more – tonight. There must be genuine answers if we are to make any progress towards the restoration of trust as a result of this review.”
As you may be aware, the Independent Review into historic child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Oldham was published on Monday 20 June.
You can read the full report on the GMCA (Greater Manchester Combined Authority) website or follow this link: Review of Historic CSE in Oldham
If anyone has concerns about any of the issues raised in the Review, a new dedicated telephone line has been set up for people wanting to report historic CSE. Anyone can call 0161 770 1045 to speak to a trained professional who can help, or email OldhamIndependentReview@oldham.gov.uk
If you have concerns about child abuse happening now, you can make a referral to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0161 770 7777 or by filling in the online safeguarding referral form
