Following the recent Jay report that revealed more than 16 years of child abuse that was left unpunished, despite council and police knowledge, The Guardian reports that the council chief executive will step down at the end of the year.
The news comes as no surprise given the calls for senior council officials to leave their posts after it was revealed that more than 1,400 children were abused even though the council and the police had significant knowledge of what was going on.
The Jay Report confirmed damning failures by the council and the police who allowed the abuse to continue despite reports from victims and frontline staff. The abuse from organised predators involved children as young as 11 with horrendous offences committed including physical abuse, intimidation, and rape.
The Guardian reports that Mr Kimber has released the following statement:
“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.”
There have been calls from both the public as well as MP’s for several key members involved in the scandal to step down from their posts. But despite Mr Kimber’s resignation, The Guardian goes on to confirm that the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Sean Wright continues to refuse to step down; despite calls from the Prime Minister to do so.
He is quoted to have said recently that he regretted not being “more aware” of the issue, although some of the abused victims have come forward and alleged that Mr Wright attended meetings more than 8 years ago when allegations were made. His statement makes clear that he must have had some knowledge of what was going on – that fact alone should surely warrant him leaving his post.
