West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has said that limited police and public resources should be prioritised towards preventing sexual violence today, rather than launching yet another inquiry into historic grooming gang offences.
The comments came in response to a question from Bradford Conservative Cllr
Rebecca Poulsen (Worth Valley) at a Bradford Council Executive meeting this week,
where Ms Brabin was presenting updates on regional projects.
Cllr Poulsen urged the Mayor to back renewed calls for a national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs, which would have the power to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath and investigate cross-county systemic failings.
She said: “We need to get rid of child sexual exploitation, and the people who covered it up need to be held accountable. It’s such a key issue in Bradford and Keighley, and I’m disappointed there’s no mention of it in your report. We need your backing to support victims.”
However, Mayor Brabin stood firm in her stance, responding: “We’ve had numerous discussions about this, and as a survivor of sexual violence myself,
I’ve made it my mission to make West Yorkshire the safest place to be a woman or girl.
This isn’t just a Bradford issue — it’s happening everywhere. We’ve seen 112 offenders jailed for grooming in West Yorkshire, serving over 2,000 years in sentences.”
She continued: “While we must never turn a blind eye to the past, our resources are limited. We cannot afford to look only in the rear-view mirror when boys as young as 14 are raping girls today. We must support historic victims and deliver justice — but also focus our energy on protecting the women and children at risk now.”
Cllr Poulsen later expressed disappointment at what she described as continued reluctance
from political leaders to support a fresh national inquiry, stating:
“My colleagues and I are deeply concerned that neither Tracy Brabin, her Deputy Mayor for
Policing and Crime Alison Lowe, nor Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe, have
supported calls for a statutory inquiry into child rape gangs with powers to compel testimony. Victims deserve nothing less.”
