What the grooming gangs inquiry will mean for Birmingham

Birmingham is to be one of the places the national grooming gangs inquiry examines in depth, and councillors of every party have said they want it to follow the evidence wherever it leads.

The independent inquiry announced at the end of September that it would carry out targeted investigations in Birmingham and in Wales. They will look at the sexual abuse and exploitation of children by grooming gangs, and at how the organisations responsible for protecting children responded.

What the inquiry can do

The inquiry has full legal powers. It can compel witnesses to give evidence and require organisations and individuals to hand over documents and information.

It was set up after a national audit found repeated failures to protect children from organised sexual abuse, and it formally began work in March. Oldham, Bradford and Keighley, and London were the first places named, before Birmingham and Wales were added. The inquiry holds national accountability hearings as well as local investigations, and is expected to finish by March 2029.

It said Birmingham was chosen because the information already available gives a "strong basis" for examining how organisations identify and respond to child sexual exploitation across a large city. The investigation will start with Birmingham but may extend to surrounding or connected areas "where the evidence supports it".

Zoe Billingham, an inquiry panellist, said: "We will look carefully at what organisations knew, how decisions were made, how agencies worked together, and why opportunities to protect children were missed."

How survivors can be heard

The inquiry's National Listening Project lets victims and survivors, their families, friends and survivor groups share their experiences. Since the start of October, people can contribute through written submissions, voice recordings or video, and one-to-one conversations with trained facilitators are available, backed by specialist emotional support.

Cross-party support

The council leader, Councillor Roger Harmer, has said every perpetrator must face justice "regardless of who they are or where they come from".

"For too many years, children were completely let down by failures in safeguarding," he said. "Birmingham will face this issue openly, honestly and without fear or favour. We will follow the evidence. We will not ignore difficult questions, including questions about ethnicity."

His statement was backed by the Liberal Democrat, Green and independent groups in the coalition running the council, and by the leaders of the Reform, Conservative, Labour and Independent Workers groups. The council says it will independently test its current safeguarding arrangements, build better support for victims and historical survivors, and republish its 1991 report on the subject.

Councillor Jex Parkin, leader of the Reform group, said the city "deserves the truth" and that every organisation must cooperate fully. Councillor Robert Alden, the Conservative leader, said party politics "must take second place to getting to the truth".

Anyone worried about a child can call the council's Children's Advice and Support Service on 0121 303 1888. In an emergency, dial 999.