This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29109918
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Rotherham child abuse: Martin Kimber, council chief exec, to step down | Rotherham child abuse: Martin Kimber, council chief exec, to step down |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The chief executive of Rotherham council is to step down following a report that exposed the scale of child sexual exploitation in the town. | The chief executive of Rotherham council is to step down following a report that exposed the scale of child sexual exploitation in the town. |
| Martin Kimber will leave the post in December, he has announced. | Martin Kimber will leave the post in December, he has announced. |
| In a statement, he said wanted to reiterate his "sincere apology to those who were let down". | In a statement, he said wanted to reiterate his "sincere apology to those who were let down". |
| A report published last month said at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited from 1997-2013, mainly by men of Pakistani heritage. | |
| Council leader Roger Stone quit following the publication of the report, which was commissioned by the council and detailed gang rapes, grooming, trafficking and other sexual exploitation on a wide scale. | |
| Calls for further resignations have gathered momentum as the spotlight turned to others at the helm of local services during the time of the abuse. | |
| Mr Kimber, who joined the authority in 2009, said: "I believe that new leadership will enable the town to recover more quickly from the events of the last two weeks, and strongly signal a new beginning at this critical time in its recovery." | |
| 'Blatant' failings | |
| South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner, Shaun Wright, who was in charge of children's services in Rotherham from 2005 to 2010, has so far resisted calls to step down. | |
| In the wake of the Jay Report, Mr Kimber said no council employees would face disciplinary action because there was not enough evidence to prosecute. | |
| This despite the report concluding there had been "blatant" collective failures by the council's leadership. | |
| The Labour Party has since suspended four members, including Mr Stone, ex-deputy leader Jahangir Akhtar and councillors Gwendoline Russell and Shaukat Ali, pending an investigation. | |
| South Yorkshire Police has commissioned an independent investigation into its handling of the scandal. | |
| The inquiry will "examine the role of both the police and council... and address any wrongdoings or failings," Chief Constable David Crompton said. |