A councillor in Greater Manchester alleges that his warnings about grooming gangs are being ignored by local authorities
Greater Manchester: A councillor is sounding the alarm about grooming gangs in Tameside, but he feels like no one is listening. Liam Billington, a Conservative on the Labour-run council, says his concerns about child sexual exploitation are being brushed aside.
He’s been trying to raise awareness for a while now, but every time he speaks up, it seems like he gets shut down. In fact, he claims that during a council meeting back in 2022, the live feed was cut off while he was addressing the issue. Talk about frustrating!
Billington points out that in 2020, the council held a session to assure everyone that Tameside wasn’t facing the same grooming issues as nearby Oldham. But he argues that the data showed around 120 kids were victims of exploitation each year, which might mean Tameside has an even bigger problem.
He told The Telegraph that since Oldham has issues, it’s likely Tameside does too. He feels blocked from getting the truth out there, especially since council presentations don’t mention Asian gangs, which he believes is a significant part of the problem.
Now, he’s calling for a full public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Tameside. He’s also accused local Labour MPs of being hesitant to tackle the issue, fearing it might upset their supporters.
Billington even suggested that the council’s regular meetings with local media might be a way to control the narrative and downplay the issue. He confronted the Chief Executive about whether they’ve ever asked the press not to report on Asian grooming gangs, and it didn’t go well. The Chief Executive got angry and threatened to sue him!
It’s a tough situation, and Tameside council has been asked for their side of the story.
