Rotherham Chief Exec Steps Down

8 September 2014, 11:37 | Updated: 8 September 2014, 14:24

The chief executive of Rotherham Council is to step down in the wake of a shocking report that detailed the sexual exploitation of at least 1,400 children in the town.

The chief executive of Rotherham Council is to step down in the wake of a shocking report that detailed the sexual exploitation of at least 1,400 children in the town.

Martin 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.''

Professor Alexis Jay's report outlined how hundreds of children had been subjected to trafficking, rape and other sexual exploitation between 1997 and 2013 and how their plight had been ignored by range of agencies, including police, councillors and council officials.

Mr Kimber said he will leave his post at the end of December.

Mr Kimber has been at the forefront of Rotherham Council's response to the Jay Report since it was published a fortnight ago.

He offered an unreserved apology from the authority at a press conference immediately following its release.

He said on Monday: ``The report does not make comfortable reading in its account of the horrific experiences of some young people in the past, and I would like to reiterate my sincere apology to those who were let down when they needed help.

``The events of the past fortnight will again have been an incredibly traumatic time for them and their families, and have shaken the town as a whole.

``The council has now decided what it must do to give the best possible protection for the children and young people of Rotherham. 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. The time is therefore now right for me to leave.

``I will be sorry to leave Rotherham but firmly believe that this will leave the council in a stronger position in the future. It is therefore the right thing to do in the interests of the people of the town.

``I remain committed to supporting colleagues over the next three months. There is no more important job for this council than to ensure it continues to work with partners to seek justice for those young people and their families who are affected by this vile crime, and to give our vulnerable children and young people the protection they deserve.''