Latest news with #RebeccaPoulsen
BBC News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Bradford Council has 'nothing to hide' over grooming review
A council has said it has "nothing to hide" and will fully cooperate with a national review into grooming of Bradford Council met on Tuesday for the first time since Baroness Casey published her report and called for a full national inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in England and Rebecca Poulsen said there had been calls for a national inquiry for years – including by Keighley MP Robbie Moore - but the council and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin previously said it was not Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said the authority would now work with the review and hand over un-redacted documents. She said: "Child sexual exploitation is a terrible crime and has a long lasting impact on its victims."Anyone who has spoken to victims know how appalling and brutal the perpetrators are."The victims should have been protected and loved, not tortured in this way."She said it was clear victims had been let down because this was the finding of numerous reviews on this issue that had been published by the council. "These reviews made for stomach churning reading," she went on to tell members the way the council and police dealt with CSE was now vastly different from a few years Brendan Stubbs shared concerns about the council redacting information that could "hinder the national review".He asked: "Can you assure us that Bradford Council will only redact what is totally necessary and not hinder victims from getting the justice they deserve?" Ms Hinchcliffe responded that she had "sent all reports we've done unredacted to the Home Secretary, so we've got nothing to hide here".Meanwhile, Ms Poulsen said the council's co-operation into the review was "about time"."We welcome your U-turn, but you have broken your trust with the victims I have spoken to," she leader councillor Imran Khan said there was "no more abhorrent crime that we will ever talk about in this Council chamber"."Every community finds this crime abhorrent," he added. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bradford Council has 'nothing to hide' in grooming enquiry
BRADFORD Council has 'nothing to hide' and will fully co-operate with a national review into grooming gangs, councillors have been told. This week, the Council met for the first time since the announcement of a national review into grooming was announced by Government. At the meeting, both the Conservative and Labour groups put forward motions supporting the national review. Before the motions were debated, Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe assured councillors that the authority would co-operate fully with the review, and hand over un-redacted documents. In a question and answer session, Liberal Democrat Leader on the Council, Brendan Stubbs highlighted news articles on reports into grooming incidents in Greater Manchester being heavily redacted – and fears that this could hinder the national review. Cllr Stubbs said: 'Can you assure us that Bradford Council will only redact what is totally necessary and not hinder victims from getting the justice they deserve?' Cllr Hinchcliffe said: 'Given our history on this subject we've been very open on it over the years. Anyone coming in can see whatever we've been doing. I sent all reports we've done unredacted to the Home Secretary, so we've got nothing to hide here.' Presenting the Conservative motion, Conservative Leader Rebecca Poulsen said: 'Sadly for decades the abuse and rape of children, many of whom were in the care of the local authority has gone on, with many who should have been protective turning their backs or being unwilling to prevent the abuse to them. 'Social workers, police, children's home staff, many people who should have believed victims let them down. Many children were blamed and called child prostitutes. It is truly appalling. "Some stepped up when they saw what was happening like Ann Cryer, the MP for Keighley and Ilkley, but she was vilified and called a racist by the Labour party for raising this.' She pointed out that current Keighley MP Robbie Moore has called for a national enquiry for years, but that both the Labour leadership in Bradford Council and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin had said it was not needed. Referring to the fact that the Council has said it will support the recently announced inquiry, Cllr Poulsen said: 'About time. We welcome your U turn, but you have broken your trust with the victims I have spoken to. I welcome the U turns, but what message does it send to the victims?' Councillor Rebecca Poulsen (Image: T&A) She said it was clear that men of Asian ethnicity were 'overrepresented' in grooming cases, according to the review. Her motion called for Bradford to support the enquiry in any way it could. Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: 'Child sexual exploitation is a terrible crime and has a long lasting impact on its victims. 'Anyone who has spoken to victims know how appalling and brutal the perpetrators are. The victims should have been protected and loved, not tortured in this way.' She said it was clear they had been let down, because this was the finding of numerous reviews on this issue that had been published by the Council. Cllr Hinchcliffe added: 'These reviews made for stomach churning reading.' She told members the way the Council and police dealt with CSE was now vastly different from a few years ago. Cllr Hinchcliffe said the Conservatives like carrying out reviews but 'then don't do anything with their findings.' She was referring to the Jay report into grooming, which cost over £184m over seven years. One of the recommendations of that report were implemented by the previous Government. She said: 'We've apologised for what happened in the past and I have apologised on behalf of people in the chamber now and previously, because it wasn't the people that you see here who were in charge at that time – I think you know full well Cllr Poulsen that we all bear responsibility for the past, and its beholden on all of us to not bring politics into this. 'Never in all the years I have been leader have I been asked by any Councillor to cover up such a crime, all communities condemn this crime.' Deputy leader Councillor Imran Khan said: 'There is a no more abhorrent crime that we will ever talk about in this Council chamber. 'Every community finds this crime abhorrent.' Councillor Ralph Berry (Lab, Wibsey) is one of the longest standing councillors in the chamber. He said he was a probation officer in family courts in the past. He said: 'The terminology people would use in the past would turn your stomach.' He said in the past he had sat in meetings where police spoke about children who are now considered victims 'making choices.' Things were now taken much more seriously by police, he said.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Road crossing scheme gets cash after years of 'frustrating' delays
NEWS that a new pedestrian bridge has finally been given funding has been welcomed after many 'frustrating' years of little progress. Plans for a crossing at the busy A629 – a 70mph road that divides Steeton and Silsden – have been in the planning stages for years. But work on the crossing has yet to start. The scheme – which will be a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the road – was recently awarded £12.9m from the West Yorkshire City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, a huge pot of cash given to West Yorkshire Combined Authority by Government. This money will help fund the first stage of the scheme – the bridge. But no funding has yet been allocated for the second phase, which is expected to cost an additional £11m. That phase will include an additional one-and-a-half miles of pedestrian and cycle paths linking Steeton and Silsden, and more road crossings. The transport settlement was discussed at a meeting of Bradford Council's Executive last week. Referring to the second stage of the scheme, the report said: 'The potential for a second phase to this project has been identified, however no funding has so far been allocated for this purpose.' Councillor Rebecca Poulsen (Cons, Worth Valley) spoke of the long delays to the project at the meeting. In 2016, £700,000 was secured from the Conservative Government for a feasibility study into a crossing on the road. Despite this, the project is still yet to begin. On the new cash for the scheme, Councillor Poulsen said: 'I welcome this funding and am pleased to see Steeton and Silsden bridge included. 'This has been going on for years and years and residents have become increasingly frustrated that it is taking so long. 'It took four years to get a feasibility report done. 'I hope we get phase two up and going as soon as possible.' Councillor Alex Ross Shaw, Executive for Planning, Regeneration and Transport on Bradford Council, said: 'This scheme is a good example of the benefits of devolution. 'We've got a grant this big because of devolution. 'The Steeton and Silsden bridge is something we've wanted to see for some time. 'We had funding for a feasibility study from the previous Government, but it came with no funding attached. 'It was not the case that we had funding to deliver the scheme, not until recently.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Councillor welcomes watchdog's investigation over Bradford Live settlement term
A COUNCILLOR has welcomed the Information Commissioner's Office investigation into Bradford Council's refusal to share details of the agreed settlement terms between Bradford Live and NEC Group. Last September, it was revealed that the Birmingham-based NEC Group had quit the £50.5 million taxpayer-funded Bradford Live project. At the time, a joint statement from Bradford Council and the NEC Group said: "Bradford Council and the NEC Group have agreed settlement terms to release NEC from the contract that was in place for them to operate the venue." The T&A subsequently asked the Council questions about the agreed settlement terms under the Freedom of Information Act - but the authority repeatedly declined to provide answers. The T&A therefore lodged a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office in January, believing that the public has a right to know more about the agreed settlement terms. This week, the Information Commissioner's Office confirmed it had launched an investigation over the matter. Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, leader of the Conservative group on Bradford Council, welcomed the news. She told the T&A: "My colleagues and I have been calling for transparency regarding this site for several years now, particularly since it became apparent that the final cost to various taxpayer-funded budgets was double the original budget at over £50m. "Specifically in relation to the exit settlement for the NEC Group, we fully understand that there was a need for non-disclosure during and immediately after the negotiations to terminate the agreement, but due to the passage of time, it seems unlikely that the release of the information continues to pose any real threat to the commercial interests of either organisation." A Bradford Council spokesperson said in response: "We welcome the news that the Information Commissioner's Office has now assigned a case officer, in fact as a Council we have been pressing for this for some time. "We have nothing to hide but it is for the Information Commissioner's Office to determine what can be published. "Local political party leaders know the legal position and why the Council can't say anything further on the matter - they too are bound by commercial confidentiality having been briefed on the matter. "Bradford Live was supported by the people of Bradford and saved by the Council - it is a world-class venue with a quality operator in the driving seat. "We're delighted to have done this for the people of Bradford district." A new operator, Trafalgar Entertainment, was appointed for Bradford Live in February.
BBC News
27-04-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Two-month A6033 road closure due to collapsed culverts
A road, which runs between Bradford and West Yorkshire, is set to close for two months, due to three collapsed culverts carry rainwater runoff under the A6033, between Oxenhope and Hebden Bridge. Bradford Council said the Victorian structures had not been built to take today's heavy traffic and due to their collapse, water had not been running as it should. Due to the deep excavation work required to fix them, the road would need to be closed for two months, from 2 June, to allow work to be carried out safely. Worth Valley councillor Rebecca Poulsen said two of the broken culverts were on the Bradford Council side and one was on the Calderdale Council side of the were originally planned to take four months but the road is now set to reopen on 18 July, with the remaining work undertaken using temporary traffic lights. The closure will begin at Keepers Lodge with a diversion in place and the A3 bus will terminate in the closure is in place, Bradford Council will carry out other work on the A6033 including wall repairs. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
