Telford CSE inquiry promised documents after eight-month wait

An inquiry into child sexual exploitation has been promised it will get the final council documents it requested, after an eight-month wait.

The inquiry, set up in 2018 to investigate years of child sexual abuse in Telford, aims to publish its findings this year.

Six documents requested from Telford and Wrekin Council were recently found to be outstanding.

The authority said it would deliver the material "within weeks".

The independent inquiry was set up by the council following newspaper reports of child abuse by grooming gangs in Telford dating back to the 1980s.

Its chair Tom Crowther QC said he hoped to be able to provide news of when its findings would be published "but that will not be possible until all core material has been received".

He added: "Despite significant progress made, some original requests for evidence remain outstanding."

Mr Crowther said that included a request to Telford and Wrekin Council for "an overarching statement about its relevant structures, duties, roles and responsibilities from 1998 to the present day".

Telford and Wrekin Council said it had been asked on 15 May for information covering a 22-year period.

It has so far disclosed 189,471 documents to the inquiry, but a follow-up request revealed there were six yet to be handed over.

The council said the provision of about 1,250,000 pages of information since August 2019 was a "substantial piece of work requested in the middle of the Covid pandemic when council services were, and have continued to be, focused on delivery of the Covid response".

It said it had received the request for outstanding documents on 4 January and promised the "outstanding content will be delivered within weeks".

A request for further information has also been made to West Mercia Police and Mr Crowther said an updated timetable would be produced as soon as possible.

So far the inquiry has heard evidence from 81 witnesses, received nearly 196,000 documents and cost Telford and Wrekin Council £2,785,938 up to the end of last year.

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