London, Oldham, Bradford, and Keighley have been named as the first locations for the statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs.

 

London, Oldham, Bradford, and Keighley have been named as the first locations for the statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs. Chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield CBE, the £65m probe has statutory powers to compel individuals and institutions to explain what they did or did not do to protect children from sexual abuse.

The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs will specifically focus on the following:

• Local Investigations: The inquiry will investigate the systemic and institutional failures in London, Oldham, Bradford, and Keighley, reviewing how social services, the NHS, and local police responded to group-based child sexual exploitation.
• London Scale: London was chosen due to its high volume of child sexual exploitation cases and complex networks spanning satellite towns. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has welcomed the inquiry, stating "no stone is left unturned".
• Institutional Accountability: The three-year hearings will examine past reviews, the implementation of over 800 historic safeguarding recommendations, and whether authorities were slow to act out of fear of being accused of racism.