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Brokenshire proposes to remove commissioners from Rotherham council

 The government is planning to end the intervention into Rotherham council three years after calling in inspectors, James Brokenshire has announced.

Government intervention began in February 2015 after Baroness Alexis Jay and Dame Louise Casey found significant failings at the council that contributed to child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. The entire cabinet at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council resigned en masse after an investigation by Casey found the authority was “not fit for purpose.”

Since the investigation that revealed more than 1,500 girls and young women may have been abused in the town between 1997 and 2013, the authority has seen an “impressive” turnaround in children’s services.

At the end of June, Rotherham council was recommended for return of its final powers, commissioners said. Now, Brokenshire said in a written ministerial statement he is “minded to” return control of all services to the metropolitan borough council, including children’s social care, and withdraw all 3 commissioners.

He adds this was on the condition the council receives an independent review before 31 March 2019.

The action follows the gradual return of selected functions to the council on four separate occasions since the intervention began in February 2015.

Brokenshire said: “Vulnerable young people were repeatedly failed in Rotherham, which is why the government stepped in to ensure these errors can never occur again.

“The council has made strong progress and, having carefully considered evidence provided by our commissioners, I am minded to return all powers. This is not a decision I take lightly, but I am assured the council has turned itself around and is now providing the services that its residents deserve and expect.”

Minister for children and families Nadhim Zahawi said in cases such as Rotherham the government “will not hesitate” to intervene and support improvements, but it is down to strong leadership and the hard work of staff at Rotherham.

“Keeping children safe is paramount and I am pleased to see the vast improvements Rotherham has made to its children’s services, shown through its recent ‘good’ Ofsted rating. We all know that for too long, children and young people living there were failed by the authorities in charge of protecting them.”

Brokenshire says the government is continuing to work with Rotherham council and the South Yorkshire Police and crime commissioner to secure funding for victims identified through the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood and will do so for as long as the need is there.

The council will now have a period of four weeks to make representations on the proposals before the Secretary of State makes a final decision.

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Image credit: Lynne Cameron