New Local Enquiries on child exploitation and abuse.

As far as I understand it, the requested new inquiries are specifically because of accusations of failure to investigate, or move forward, because of the racial background of some of the gangs.

The failings you allude to generally, were very well investigated in the Jay report, in great detail, after 100's of interviews, that reported in 2022

resulting in the 20 recommendations that Maggie Oliver is demanding an action plan on. (and quite rightly too, although the question of adequate resourcing will always be a problem)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mvmy3dwe1o

Two separate news stations and one national newspaper reported Maggie Oliver's threatened action this morning. As for Cooper's inquiry measure 'being well into the planning' it was only last week she was putting on a show of being Very Angry Indeed , threatening to put people working with children in prison if they didn't report child abuse. The system for doing this has been in operation for many years and is used correctly; it is the failure of the police and social services to implement this which needs serious retrospective investigation.
Abuse is suspected, evidence amassed and reported, goes beyond the school; nothing happens then suddenly the children stop attending school and are being home-schooled, on an extended visit abroad or have moved to another county or country leaving no address.

Doodledog re Conservatives: in 2022 when the Jay report came out what they did do was set up a limited number of specialist police units as per one of the 20 recommendations and they have made many arrests.

But as you say, at no time did they consider further inquiry/inquiries were needed.

The action wasn't taken because Maggie Oliver sought the review.
The new inquiry measures were well in the planning by the time the letter arrived, and Olivers letter referred to the 20 recommendations, not the inquiry measures.

Another cover-up because these inquiries have no authority to compel witnesses to attend. instead they will rely on a 'candour of truth'??
'.
One area named: Oldham; four more yet to be chosen, out of the 50 waiting to be investigated. Action only taken because Maggie Oliver threatened to seek a judicial review in the High Court unless Cooper published a timetable for implementing all 20 recommendations in the Jay report into Child Sex Abuse.

This just shows how policy can be changed if enough people take the trouble to make their feelings known!

The judge who said that Sarah Sharif be returned to her family should be sacked, he/she is either senile or unconcerned about children, I hope he/she is named and cannot live with themselves.
Enough has been spent on enquiries, I have no faith in them. Just implement decisions made. But no one is willing to do more than talk.

*Nothing but more whitewash and passing the responsibility on to other people, who already use the existing system only to see it stop dead with the police and social services when they fail to pursue the case.
Teachers and taxi drivers don't have the authority to visit suspects homes or summon them for interview, neither do councils, I believe.*
I’m with you up to here. If taxi drivers or teachers can be proved to have known, or be expected to have known, but turned a blind eye, then that should be an offence, but the onus can’t be on them to ensure cases come to court. Making saying nothing an offence might make it easier to see where in the chain the breaks are, however.

But I’m confused by this:
This is what needs investigating and exposing but Starmer and Cooper won't dare.
What did the Tories (under any of the numerous leaders) dare to do that Labour won’t? They had many years to do it.

I'm not at all sure another 7 years and 1.4 billion pound inquiry is the most helpful approach.

From BBC report

"Cooper argued that "effective local inquiries can delve into far more local detail and deliver more locally relevant answers, and change, than a lengthy nationwide inquiry can provide"

She said Tom Crowther, who led an inquiry in Telford, would help the government develop a new framework for "victim-centred locally-led inquiries where they are needed".

She said this would begin by working with Oldham Council and up to four other pilot areas, with £5m of an overall £10m package being put up to "get work off the ground".

Champion pressed the home secretary on whether the inquires would be able to summon witnesses to give evidence.
"What we need to do is make sure there have been no cover-ups, and it's only if it's on a statutory footing that we can do that," she said.

Cooper replied that different approaches could be taken and the government would work with local mayors and local councils to "make sure that we can strengthen the accountability arrangements".

She said this included introducing a "duty of candour" which requires public servants to tell the truth.

Lets see how these go how effective they are, and whether they can deliver answers quickly before expanding it further.

A full Inquiry is what is required because only a full national Inquiry has the authority to compel relevant witnesses to attend and give evidence. We, as the general public, need to hear from, and know why police refused to act, social workers didn’t act, city councils didn’t act. I want these people who were in authority to be questioned and to answer for their disgraceful failings. I want to know why they failed to protect these girls. No city investigation will be able to demand attendance and people will not be brought to account.

If the CCTV wasn't deletable by the driver, then that would've been an obvious thing for the police to check when concerns were raised without even having to accuse the driver personally. Would there be a way of doing this, I wonder?

Some of the offenders in the rape gangs were taxi drivers.

Actually I think if there'd been CCTV in taxis & it was a criminal offence not to report things going on in taxis, that would have helped authorities to take the grooming seriously in the grooming cases I've read about.
The responsibity has to be with other people to report concerns in the first instance - the abusers aren't going to knowingly operate in front of police officers or social workers.
I do realise that the response from police when concerns were reported has been a major problem in these scandals in the past. But "other people" (& that could be you or me) reporting them is crucial.

With regard to the three month review now being proposed, I’m not sure that it will be wide ranging enough nor detailed enough.
We will see.

With regard to not naming the Family Court judge who put Sara Sharif into the care of her father, we have to remember that family court proceedings are always in private and judges are never named. This is to avoid them becoming victims of attacks as their rulings are often not liked by the litigants. Family Court judges must be protected and this is how they are protected.

CCTV in taxis, so the taxi drivers will be held responsible if they don't check it and report abuse.
Child sexual exploitation experts in secondary schools.
Nothing but more whitewash and passing the responsibility on to other people, who already use the existing system only to see it stop dead with the police and social services when they fail to pursue the case.
Teachers and taxi drivers don't have the authority to visit suspects homes or summon them for interview, neither do councils, I believe.This is what needs investigating and exposing but Starmer and Cooper won't dare.
A proper inquiry is need to expose previous failings but one has only to see the refusal to name the judge who handed Sara Sharif back to her father despite considerable evidence of previous abuse to see why this will not be pursued.

Full summary of proposals

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9w5l4vxv2qo

Now of course there is a two way "why didn't (the other party)" do x,y, and z sooner...and the debated question will be another national inquiry versus the new empowered local ones.

I'll stop hogging this issue as off out.

Galaxy

Yes I think the latter too.
I find it quite fascinating when the public are 'ahead' of political parties.

And making it clear to relevant local MP's, as backing had actually come from MP's in the affected areas not just Burnham.

" As we've reported, Cooper's statement comes after three Labour MPs publicly expressed support for a national inquiry - Dan Carden, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, and Rochdale MP Paul Waugh.

Other senior Labour figures, including Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, also joined the calls, saying they would support a limited new inquiry.
Sarah Champion of course has been involved for many years.

As well as her overall proposals on the 20 recommendations of the Jay report, she has just announced

15:22
Cooper and Starmer both met with survivors from Telford last week, she tells the House. They had praise for the way the local inquiry in their area was conducted after years of failings.

That local inquiry led to "tangible change'", including piloting CCTV in taxis, and appointing child sexual exploitation experts in secondary schools.

Effective local inquiries can deliver "more locally relevant answers" than a "lengthy nationwide inquiry" can provide, she says.

The government will develop a new framework to deliver locally led inquiries where they are needed, first in Oldham and in up to four other pilot areas.

This new package of local support will be backed by £5m additional funding, Cooper says.

She also says the Home Office will bolster its undercover online network of police officers to target online offenders.

Yes I think the latter too.
I find it quite fascinating when the public are 'ahead' of political parties.

Galaxy

Maggie Oliver has written a pre action protocol letter to Yvette Cooper, I wonder if that was what sparked this decision or if it was when the MPs went back to their constituencies and realised the scale of public concern.

I think the latter, as the letter has only just come out. the policies coming out policies have taken a substantial time to prepare. Its really far reaching, what she is addressing.

Tough action and extra resources - and not dodging ethnic issues.

Maggie Oliver has written a pre action protocol letter to Yvette Cooper, I wonder if that was what sparked this decision or if it was when the MPs went back to their constituencies and realised the scale of public concern.

Cooper is delivering the details of her speech now.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cyv43zpr4pjt#player

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