South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner is facing calls to resign after the publication of a report into widespread child abuse in Rotherham.
The study, published on Tuesday, found at least 1,400 children in the town were sexually exploited by criminal gangs between 1997 and 2013.
PCC Shaun Wright was responsible for children's services at Rotherham Council from 2005 to 2010.
He has apologised for the authority's failings during his time in the post.
But his political rivals say he should stand down from his role in the wake of the findings being made public.
'Appalling' failings
Rotherham Council leader Roger Stone quit following the publication of the report which detailed gang rapes, grooming, trafficking and other sexual exploitation on a wide scale in the South Yorkshire town.
But calls for further resignations have gathered momentum as the spotlight now turns onto others at the helm of local services during the time of the abuse.
It has emerged that no council employees would face disciplinary action, as the authority's chief executive, Martin Kimber, said there was not enough evidence to prosecute.
This is despite the report's author, Professor Alexis Jay, concluding there had been 'blatant' collective failures by the council's leadership.
Former children's minister Tim Loughton told the BBC's Newsnight that any social worker involved in the failings in Rotherham 'has absolutely no place' in the care of children.
The Conservative MP claimed it was a 'common theme' in sex abuse scandals that 'nobody pays the consequences'.
'A social worker responsible for protecting vulnerable children, to turn a blind eye to a 12-year-old having sexual relationships with a stranger twice, three times her age and to say that was consensual sex and to do nothing about it - that person has absolutely no place in anything to do with vulnerable children,' he said.
Speaking on the same programme the Labour MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion, said the report showed frontline staff had tried to tackle the problem but those in senior positions had failed.
'The fact that they could still be working in child protection, of course that is something that all of us are very concerned about and we need to investigate very fast,' she said.
'That benign neglect of the children they're meant to be taking care of could still be going on.'
'Insincere apologies'
Those politically opposed to former Labour councillor Mr Wright believe his position as the PCC for the South Yorkshire region is now untenable.
The leader of the Lib Dem group on Sheffield City Council, Colin Ross, said: 'Lessons must be learnt and those responsible must be held to account.
'Shaun Wright was the councillor in charge of children's services at Rotherham Council and also sat on the Authority of South Yorkshire Police when both organisations knew about the level of child sexual exploitation, but chose not do anything about it.
'It's difficult to see how local people can have confidence in him to continue as our PCC.'
UKIP Yorkshire and Humber MEP Jane Collins said: 'I categorically call for the resignation of everyone directly and indirectly involved in this case.
'The Labour Council stand accused of deliberately ignoring child sex abuse victims for 16 years. The apologies we have heard are totally insincere and go nowhere near repairing the damage done.
'These resignations should include South Yorkshire's PCC Shaun Wright who, until his election into the post, held responsible positions with Rotherham Council.'
A spokesman for Mr Wright responded: 'The commissioner is pleased that the inquiry conducted by Alexis Jay finally shines a light on the errors made in relation to safeguarding children in Rotherham and that constructive action can be taken to protect young people as a result of the report and recommendations.
'The commissioner has previously apologised for the failure of Rotherham Council while he was in its cabinet from 2005 to 2010.
'He repeats that apology today and he fully accepts that there was more that everyone at Rotherham Council should have done to tackle this terrible crime.'
Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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