Members of Oldham Council came under intense scrutiny at the extraordinary meeting held following the publication of the independent review into historic Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Oldham.

The explosive meeting on Monday evening saw Oldham Council leader Amanda Chadderton, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Chief Superintendent for Oldham Chris Bowen, and director of children's services at Oldham Council Gerard Jones fend off a series of hard-hitting questions from councillors and members of the public.

On multiple occasions, Cllr Chadderton was forced to reiterate that there was “no evidence of any kind of cover up between Oldham Council and GMP” to the sound of jeers and chants from the increasingly raucous public gallery.

Taking to the lectern, Deborah Barratt-Cole asked Cllr Chadderton: “Can the council leader please tell every resident in Oldham who well be held accountable for this travesty happening in our town?”

In response, Cllr Chadderton said the council had “never shied away from the fact that extremely evil men are out there and commit these horrendous crimes” and that the report “does not allege any misconduct in public office by council staff”.

She continued: “The two people that carried out this report were independent experts”, adding, “While there were failings, and I completely accept the findings of the report, there was no cover up”.

The report's authors are children's services expert Malcolm Newsam and ex-detective superintendent Gary Ridgway.

They were asked to consider a number of allegations and the response to them by Oldham Council, as well as its partner agencies including GMP and the NHS. 

Specifically, the work is concerned with allegations on social media about children's homes, shisha establishments and taxi services, and their use to access children for the purposes of sexual exploitation between 2011 and 2014.

But it is also concerned with a number of other cases, including the cases of offenders once employed by Oldham Council.

It found serious shortcomings in the handling of some cases of CSE in Oldham, in particular, one victim, 'Sophie', but no evidence to suggest a cover-up by the authorities or by councillors.

Cllr Chadderton told the meeting that the report is set to be debated in parliament on Thursday and the council will not be asking the government for a further review.

Another public question to Cllr Chadderton enquired whether there would be an investigation into why Oldham Council said it would be harmful for ‘Sophie's’ welfare to speak to the review team.

‘Sophie', whose name was changed in the report to hide her identity, is a victim whose case is considered of particular concern. Aged 12 in 2006, she was exploited and Oldham Council and GMP failed to protect her.

Cllr Chadderton said: “If Sophie feels that we should have done more to facilitate her in her involvement then we have to acknowledge that and we have to apologise for that.”

Gerard Jones added: “We did ask for Sophie’s case to be included and we’re really pleased that eventually she was able to participate in the review.”

Another set of public questions concerned Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of a notorious grooming gang in Rochdale, who was employed by Oldham Council as a welfare rights officer until 2006.

Cllr Chadderton said the council did not know that Shabir Ahmed had committed any crimes at the time he was employed and that the council were not informed of any allegations until two years after he had left the council.

She said that he was “not protected” by the council and that she did not have a “list” of names of people that knew him as he left the council six years before she became a councillor and she never met him.

Midway through the meeting a woman from the public gallery told the chamber that in 1981 she was taken into the care of Oldham Council.

She said: “When I went into the girls’ home, I was warned about the man that worked in the Civic Centre. I was horrified. I was also taken off the streets of Oldham town centre. I was 16 years old. I was so disgusted with myself.”

“We’re now in 2022 I think it’s about time you held your heads in shame and realised what’s been going on for 50 years”, she added.

Shortly afterwards Chief Superintendent Chris Bowen urged all victims to “come forward”.

He added: “My message to offenders of these heinous crimes is we’re not letting this go, we will reinvestigate, and we will track you down.”

He later said it would be “naïve” to say child sexual exploitation is not still happening but that he was confident that anyone making an allegation now would have a different response from authorities than in previous years.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Diane Williamson said she was on the council in 2008 and discussed looking after children and safeguarding issues.

“It makes me feel sick to my stomach to realise that I along with others had been deceived”, she said, adding: “I keep thinking did I miss something? Should I have asked more questions and pushed for an answer when I was told everything was okay?

“I believed officers. Clearly everything was not okay there were a whole host of issues that were not being investigated.”

Cllr Howard Sykes, the leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group, shared a similar anecdote.

He said: "Over many years I have asked questions and scrutinised safeguarding matters. I was given repeated assurances and the facts in this report are news to me. Why did we not know this was happening?”

Conservative Cllr Pam Byrne meanwhile told the chamber that the Conservative group has asked for a “further fuller independent report or public enquiry, free of the Greater Manchester Authority”.

She added: “We need justice for all victims and the full weight of the law on grooming gangs. No apologies made to these victims are enough and the administrations of those times should all be ashamed”.

Echoing her comments, Cllr Brian Hobin, the leader of the Failsworth Independent Party, told the chamber: “Apologies won’t wash, lessons learnt is a phrase I do not want to hear from this council. We’re sick of it.”

Referring to the review he said: “It goes nowhere near bringing justice" for any of the victims, adding: "It is not worthy of this chamber, and we need more.”

Andy Burnham assured the chamber that tonight was “not the end of the story” adding: “Once the issue is broken out into the open the evidence can be followed, and the right action taken.

“Operation Sherwood will go as far and as long as it needs to go to bring people to justice.”

Operation Sherwood, an operation dedicated to CSE in Oldham, launched on Monday, June 20.