Second child sexual exploitation inquiry should not be ruled out if questions go unanswered

The ongoing Independent Inquiry into Telford Child Sexual Exploitation (IITCSE) is a “non-statutory” inquiry, meaning it lacks legal powers like the ability to issue witness summons.

Labour Telford and Wrekin Council leader Shaun Davies said his administration tried to get the government to set up a more powerful investigation and lobbied for the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse to include Telford in its investigation.

He said the requests were declined so, he reasoned, “a council-commissioned inquiry was better than no inquiry at all”.

He was responding to a question from Conservative councillor Tim Nelson, who also asked for reassurance the inquiry would cover “current” as well as “historical” CSE, as its terms of reference state.

Earlier this month, IITCSE chairman Tom Crowther QC said he hoped to publish his final report by Christmas.

He said 1,275,000 pages of written evidence had been received, the overwhelming majority of it from the council.

At a full meeting of councillors, Cllr Nelson asked: “Do the leader and his fellow councillors still claim the inquiry was not needed?”

Cllr Davies initially resisted calls for Telford and Wrekin Council to commission its own inquiry, arguing instead for a government-led investigation.

In spring 2018 the Home Office ruled it out, so the authority began its own process of setting one up.

Cllr Davies told the meeting: “A council-commissioned inquiry was better than no inquiry at all.”

He thanked the inquiry team for its work, but said “it’s too early to say whether a non-statutory inquiry has done the work we all want it to do”.

He added that its limited powers might mean “some of the information the inquiry has asked for has not been forthcoming”.

Cllr Davies said: “This issue of child sexual exploitation is not a political football. It’s too important for that.

“So wait and see what the inquiry says. Let’s wait and see what remains unanswered, let’s see who hasn’t gone and given evidence to the inquiry when asked. Let’s see what powers the inquiry wanted and doesn’t have.”

Cllr Nelson added that the inquiry’s terms of reference said it would look at historical and current CSE, and said the crime was “deeply current at the time the inquiry was commissioned”.

He asked: “Can the council assure us, please, that the inquiry is covering and will cover current CSE? Because the inquiry lead made no mention of it in his recent public utterance.”

Cllr Davies said that question would be better directed at Mr Crowther himself.

“My view, our view, is very clear; this is an independent inquiry,” he said.

“We have released millions of pages of evidence, everything we have been asked to provide.

“Let’s wait and see what outstanding questions there are.

“I do not rule out calling on the government to launch a further inquiry.”

Addressing Cllr Nelson and his Conservative colleagues, he added: “I hope you’ll have the honour to get off your backsides and get your Home Secretary to commit.”