Row over Rotherham councillor’s appointment to the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority

At a SYFRA meeting yesterday (October 9), Coun Simon Ball, the leader of the Conservative group in Rotherham, told the committee that he didn’t support the appointment of Coun Ken Wyatt (Labour) as in 2005 he was reportedly among those attending a CSE seminar and “did not speak out”.

Coun Ball said: “In 2005, Coun Ken Wyatt attended a seminar on Child Sexual Exploitation. During this seminar, he was told of the horrific scale of abuse of young girls being carried out in Rotherham.

“A decade later, the Casey Report confirmed no councillor who attended this seminar could plausibly deny what was happening in Rotherham. Ken Wyatt did not speak out. He never told anyone what he knew.

“Over 1,500 young girls were raped in Rotherham. 1500 young children, boys and girls.”

He added the rumour is Coun Wyatt was stepping down at the next local elections so he was only in position for the next couple of months.

Coun Ball told the committee: “Appointing Ken Wyatt to a position of authority and leadership is unacceptable. It is unacceptable to survivors and it should be unacceptable to everyone here.

“I cannot work with a councillor who neglected his duties. I cannot understand why Rotherham Labour’s leader (Coun Chris Read) has selected this person to represent us here.”

Coun Ball was told the fire authority had no say in who Rotherham appoints.

Also, Dr Alan Billings, the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said he found Coun Ball’s comments on Coun Wyatt – who was not in attendance – “quite distasteful and deplorable”.

The local democracy service asked Coun Chris Read, the leader of Rotherham Council, about why he (or his group) picked Coun Wyatt and what his thoughts were on Coun Ball’s words.

Coun Read said: “Ken Wyatt has spent a lifetime in public service, not least with the ambulance service and as a Justice of the Peace, and his experience of working within the emergency services for a long time makes him ideally placed to support and challenge the Fire Authority. He was chosen through a democratic process – and Simon is wrong to say I have a veto over that – but he takes on the role with my full support.

“On the other hand, Simon Ball was accused by his own Conservative predecessor of “bullying”. While his government are still making cuts to support services for survivors of sexual abuse here in Rotherham right now and rape convictions are at an all-time low, he may hope that this kind of outburst will save his own skin – but the public of Rotherham increasingly know that the Tories have nothing positive to offer.”