Did those in power do the right thing?

Enquiry into Rochdale 'Scandal' nears conclusion
by Les May

A recent circular to local Labour party members from the Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton Momentum group included the comment taken from the Manchester Evening News and the Rochdale Observer that 'Several Labour sources said the party is gearing up for a highly uncomfortable few weeks as it rakes over what the authorities and political parties knew about historic abuse in the town’s children’s homes during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The actions of council leader Richard Farnell, who was also leader in the early 1990s, are expected to be scrutinised particularly closely.'

Now the author of this passage, Jennifer Williams, does tend to ‘over egg the pudding’ somewhat in the things she writes about Cambridge House and Knowl View, as anyone who reads her stuff can easily spot if they read it with a mildly critical eye.   As Mr Farnell did not endear himself to quite a lot of Labour party members in continuing to give tacit support to Simon Danczuk long after he had passed his sell by date, I am inclined to wonder if there isn’t an element of wishful thinking in the decision to circulate this particular piece of prose.

But anyone hoping the world will fall in on Farnell might like to bear in mind what I wrote in March 2017...

'After more than two and a half years and at a cost of nearly three quarters of a million pounds the Greater Manchester Police investigation Operation Clifton concluded that there was no ‘cover up’ of what was happening at Knowl View.  In other words Danczuk and Baker once again got it wrong. Now at this point I must declare an interest. In May 2015 I was interviewed at Rochdale Police Station for some two hours by two officers who were part of this operation.   I handed over copies of all the relevant documents I had amassed during my own investigation and signed statements detailing the information I had provided verbally.  At the end of the interview I was asked to express a view as to whether I believed there had been a "cover up". I said no. So far as I was concerned I was very impressed by the thoroughness of the investigation.’ 

http://northernvoicesmag.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/operation-clifton-further-discredits.html


The only really hard evidence in the public domain about the unsavoury goings on at Knowl View are what appeared in the report sent to the Director of Education and the acting Head of Social Services by an Aids worker in 1991.   This report indicated that there was a high level of sexual activity between the boys at the school, some of it coercive.  We also know that a copy was sent to Councillor Pamela Hawton and that a report was commissioned from a psychologist, Valerie Mellor.  This report delivered in early 1992 confirmed what the previous report had said about the sexual activity amongst the boys.

Whether Farnell knew about the contents of these two reports depends upon whether the council officers concerned communicated their contents to him.   My understanding is that he has said he did not see the reports.  If evidence emerges that he did then it is up to him to provide the explanations not the Labour party.


The judgement I make about all this is not ‘who knew?’ but whether the response of the people who did know was appropriate in the circumstances.   Let’s just say I’m glad I wasn’t Director of Education, acting Head of Social Services or council Leader at the time.

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