Liberal Democrats offer cautious welcome to independent investigation

The announcement that Oldham will be one of five pilot schemes for reviews into grooming, backed by national funding, and based on the Telford review, has been cautiously welcomed by the Oldham Liberal Democrats.

Exact details for what this entails have still to be brought out, but the announcement of the inquiry is a significant move towards the type of inquiry that the Liberal Democrats have been demanding for over five years. 

Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Oldham Howard Sykes MBE said: “I am pleased that the Government has seen some sense, and is now looking more realistically at a wider review of the situation in Oldham.

“Proof of how good this will be is in the delivery. People have lost a lot of trust over the failure of Labour to deliver an effective review in the past, and their long-time refusal to ask for more to be done. 

“There is a lot of bridge building to be done to show that this investigation will be independent, transparent and effective. They will need to ensure that survivors, that people from across Oldham, and people from across the political spectrum are consulted and kept informed throughout the process.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also said that a timetable would be laid out for implementing the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA). 

Lib Dem Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani added: “We have had too many inquiries that have delivered too little. People have been put through the trauma of investigations, of providing testimonies, to too little effect. 

“They need to know that things can change, and implementing the IICSA recommendations is an critical first step in that.

“Oldham deserves better than has happened in the past, and we will continue to campaign for justice for the survivors, to confront the traumas of the town’s past, and to build a better future, alongside the many others who have campaigned for these changes.”