Lucy Allan, Member of Parliament for Telford releases the following statement:
News reports in the Sunday Mirror today concerning Child Sexual Exploitation in Telford are extremely serious and shocking. There must now be an independent inquiry into CSE in Telford so that our community can have absolute confidence in the authorities. In 2016 Telford & Wrekin Council, together with their safeguarding partners, assured the Home Secretary that no inquiry into CSE in Telford was necessary as ‘progress had been made’ and lessons learned. In the light of these new allegations, I would urge the authorities in Telford to commission an independent inquiry at the earliest opportunity.
It is not accurate to say that the scope of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) will investigate what happened in Telford. The IICSA states it will: “assess the extent to which a wide range of relevant authorities have learned lessons, implemented recommendations, and put in place effective strategies to prevent child sexual exploitation in future.” This does not amount to a commitment to investigate what happened in Telford, nor will it give Telford victims, their families or our community the answers we need. The IICSA will not investigate whether any of the authorities in Telford should be accountable. That is why we must have an independent inquiry into what happened in Telford; such an inquiry is outside the current scope of the IICSA.
As Telford’s MP, I will be raising the matter with ministers in Parliament and using every avenue available to ensure that the facts of what happened are made known.”
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