Rotherham Council leader says town ‘shares the anger’ over grooming failures as Casey Report prompts national inquiry

Baroness Louise Casey was commissioned by the Government to carry out a national audit of group-based child sexual exploitation in England and Wales, amid concerns that authorities were still failing victims and overlooking the true scale of the problem.

Despite years of inquiries and reviews, Casey found that key failings remain, including a lack of data, poor accountability, and a culture of avoidance around difficult truths.

Councillor Chris Read, who has led Rotherham Council since 2015, said the new findings echo the calls made locally since the 2014 Jay Report and its follow-up by Baroness Casey the following year.

“We have come a long way since then,” he said.

“Baroness Casey notes that Rotherham is now a completely different council, and South Yorkshire Police have received commendation. But of course those women failed in the past continue to live with the consequences of that failure. Today Baroness Casey talks about her ‘blistering anger’ about Britain’s continued failure to keep children safe. And for all of us in Rotherham, her anger is ours too.”

National police data shows the majority of victims are girls aged between 10 and 15, while most perpetrators are men. However, national data on ethnicity remains critically lacking, according to the report, with no information recorded for two-thirds of suspects.

While the report stresses that ethnicity alone is not a cause, local police data from three forces including South Yorkshire does show a disproportionate number of suspects from Asian backgrounds. Casey says this must be explored seriously rather than avoided or politicised.

“Our collective failure to address questions about the ethnicity of grooming gangs has dominated political and institutional focus,” the report warns, “with energy devoted to proving the point on one hand, or avoiding or playing it down on the other.”

Coun Read said Casey’s call for better data and greater accountability for senior officials aligns with the council’s long-held stance. But he also warned that meaningful progress will depend on long-term investment.

“In Rotherham, the criminal investigations into abusers that are still ongoing ten years later have been largely conducted by nearly 200 dedicated officers with the National Crime Agency,” he said. “It is easy to imagine that it will require thousands of such officers to meet the same challenge across Britain.”

The Home Secretary has committed to adopting all 12 recommendations from the report, including launching a new national inquiry, reviewing wrongful convictions of victims, and improving data collection on ethnicity and nationality in child exploitation cases.

“The moment must result in permanent change,” CounRead added. “And we stand ready to play our part in that.”

If you are concerned about a local child or young person, go to RMBC’s website at www.rotherham.gov.uk/child-protection/report-concern-child-young-person. If the child or young person is in immediate danger which requires an urgent response, please call 999.