Telford child sex abuse panel to have three lay people
An independent group to be put in charge of planning and running an inquiry in to child sexual exploitation in Telford must include three lay people, councillors have determined.
The CSE Inquiry Member Advisory Group met at Telford & Wrekin Council’s headquarters at Addenbrooke House.
Following a heated debate, during which Councillor Tim Nelson said there was an overwhelming opportunity to engage with and work alongside victims and survivors of CSE, the six members of the group agreed unanimously that three lay people should be sought to join the panel.
The original plan for the meeting had been for the board to approve the next stage of plans to investigate the abuse of young people in the area.
But, following a proposal put forward by Councillor Nelson and seconded by Councillor Stephen Bentley, and agreed on by all six members, the meeting was adjourned until May 30, when the topic will once again be discussed.
The group will then be asked to approve a procurement process to select independent commissioners who will then carry out the inquiry.
Concerns were raised that if the advisory group was solely made of members of Telford & Wrekin Council, it would not be representative of the people affected by the issue nor would it have the experience needed to determine the correct steps to take.
Councillor Nelson said: “Victims and survivor groups should be at the heart of the inquiry.
“Telford is not the only town to have experienced CSE and we are not the first town to be conducting an investigation. This is our opportunity to learn from other areas and towns which have experienced this and to conduct our inquiry in a totally transparent way. We need people with experience and knowledge.
“What we want is a transparent and effective process. We need to learn where there have been mistakes and focus on the current situation to eliminate CSE in Telford.
“We should co-opt three lay members to this committee.”
Councillor Bentley added: “Would it not have been better to have greater consultation with groups on this? We do not have the experience or knowledge on this subject.
“We have never commissioned an inquiry like this within the council.
“We need to ensure that what we do is open, transparent and beyond reproach.”
