An emergency town hall meeting to discuss historic child sexual exploitation in Rochdale has been demanded by Councillor Farooq Ahmed.

Coun Ahmed has requested an extraordinary council meeting, stating that the urgency of the grooming gangs issue cannot wait until the next full council meeting scheduled for March.

He is advocating for an independent inquiry, the reopening of investigations into perpetrators, a comprehensive review of safeguarding practices, and an acknowledgment of failures by local authorities. Additionally, he suggested the creation of a survivor-led panel to provide support for victims.

The discussion surrounding grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation in the UK was reignited by Elon Musk through recent posts on his social media platform X.

Coun Ahmed expressed, “This should’ve happened a long time ago. There is a lot I have been questioning, and this has been prompted by Elon Musk highlighting this issue.”

He further stated, “I don’t want anyone to suffer in silence. I don’t want history to repeat itself.”

He added, “I organised a multi-agency meeting a decade ago on this. We tried to get everyone in the room to talk about and deal with the issue. Yet we’re still not addressing it.”

“If a businessman like Elon Musk can highlight this, why can’t we? As elected representatives of Rochdale, we have a moral and civic duty to protect our most vulnerable members of society—our children. It is with deep regret that we acknowledge this duty has not always been fulfilled.”

He concluded, “Victims remain unheard, and justice remains incomplete.”

A spokesperson for Rochdale council stated that the request for an extraordinary meeting will go through the normal process, where it will be assessed and considered.

Extraordinary council meetings are convened to address urgent matters that cannot be dealt with during regular meetings.