Radio Review: 5 September

Full marks to BBC Radio Sheffield’s Toby Foster for a thorough response to the horror in Rotherham. Last Wednesday, his breakfast show came from Rotherham Town Hall, with Foster – a comedian by trade, and a tenacious inquisitor too – challenging the town’s bigwigs.

They apologised profusely, but shirked responsibility. ‘There will be people in the council who need to consider their positions,’ said Paul Lakin, a councillor since 1999 and lead member for children’s services since 2010. Their? The report covers the period from 1997 to 2013.

Lakin blamed ‘governance arrangements’ and ‘structures’ for inaction, which is one click away from ‘computer says no’. A Conservative councillor raised questions in 2006, but nothing happened until 2012. Asked why, Lakin replied, ‘I don’t have an answer to that, if I’m honest.’ If?

The council is also rife with sexist bullying. Lakin said this was terrible, but had not gone to the effort of finding out who the bullies were. Foster reckoned he could find out quickly, ‘and I’m not in the position of responsibility that you are’.

Council chief executive Martin Kimber suggested in a mithering voice that all senior staff when the abuse was worst had left, as if this atoned. This chilled me. They’re somewhere, maybe in similar jobs.

The Jay report suggested that the 1,400 cases were downplayed to avoid upsetting the Asian community, but I was impressed by the Muslim youth leader who said letting such heinous criminals proliferate was far more upsetting.

Most of the interviews were phoners or down the line, but the substance was all there.

Toby Foster At Breakfast, BBC Radio Sheffield, weekdays at 7am.
Louis on Twitter: @LFBarfe or email: wireless@cheeseford.net