Title

ROTHERHAM ABUSE

Councils must learn from interventions

Local authorities must learn from the imposition of commissioners in Tower Hamlets and Rotherham, a select committee has warned.

Local authorities must learn from the imposition of commissioners in Tower Hamlets and Rotherham, a select committee has warned.

The Communities and Local Government Committee said both councils had failed to take whistleblowers seriously.

It called for there to be proper checks and balances through scrutiny to ‘drive a culture of transparency and continuous improvement'.

Clive Betts MP, chair of the committee, said: ‘It is vital that the failings in Rotherham and Tower Hamlets, and the work done to address them are identified and shared so that similar issues can be addressed in other local authorities at an early stage to avoid them hitting rock bottom and having commissioners imposed upon them.

‘The DCLG [Department for Communities and Local Government] and LGA [Local Government Association] clearly have important role to play in this, but local authorities must also take responsibility themselves for seeking out and sharing this best practice.

‘The DCLG must carefully examine what worked and what could have been done better with these interventions so that the process can be improved for possible future cases.'

 

ROTHERHAM ABUSE

A year to remember...

By Martin Ford | 17 December 2025

A devolution priority programme combined with a wider council reorganisation that could be seen from space; Reform UK limbering up to terrify a Labour Govern...

ROTHERHAM ABUSE

Moving from place-based budget pilots to mainstream practice

By Dr Simon Kaye | 16 December 2025

The Treasury must back real place-based budgets – not just another Red Book annex, warns Dr Simon Kaye.

ROTHERHAM ABUSE

Five lessons to usher in Total Place 2.0

By Stephen Taylor | 16 December 2025

Stephen Taylor welcomes the launch of place-based budget pilots across five mayoral authorities. Drawing on fresh insights from this year’s Total Place-style...

ROTHERHAM ABUSE

Partnering power with love

By Matthew Taylor | 16 December 2025

Matthew Taylor has a book recommendation for those leading NHS reforms.

Popular articles by William Eichler