In February 2015, Louise Casey’s report into the corporate governance of Rotherham sent shockwaves through the local government community and beyond.

Executive powers were removed from the council and placed within the purview of Government-appointed commissioners. This followed the publication of Professor Alexis Jay’s inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE), which revealed that a ‘conservative estimate’ of 1,400 girls had been abused in the town over a 16-year period, and Ofsted’s findings of ‘widespread systemic failure’ in children’s services.