Government troubleshooter Louise Casey has found Rotherham MBC ‘not fit for purpose' in the long-awaited review into the council's role and ability to respond to the child sexual exploitation scandal.

Ms Casey, who is head of the Department for Communities and Local Government's troubled families unit said she found ‘a council in denial' when conducting her research from September last year.

Her investigation into the running of Rotherham was sparked by publication last August of Professor Alexis Jay's report into child sexual abuse in Rotherham, which estimated at least 1,400 girls were sexually abused between 1997 and 2013.