Taxis, takeaways and B&B accommodation should face more rigorous checks and controls in the fight against child sexual exploitation (CSE).
That’s the view of councillors in Kirklees after reviewing the work of the authority’s CSE hub and its impact on helping vulnerable children and young people.
Members of the Children’s Scrutiny Panel, which met at Huddersfield Town Hall , heard that 3,000 taxi drivers across West Yorkshire have undergone safeguarding training.
That training has been extended to takeaways and “accommodation providers” such as hotels and bed-and-breakfast establishments.
It follows the introduction of a common licensing policy framework across the county as a result of the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal.
The policy was designed to ensure that taxi services were provided by individuals who were suitable to hold a licence and who drove appropriate vehicles.
It covers taxi and private hire vehicles, drivers and operators across the West Yorkshire Combined Authority area.
However councillors asked whether loopholes in the system could potentially allow drivers to bypass tough licensing regimes.
And they said a training session held for accommodation providers at the John Smith’s Stadium was not well attended.
Taxi drivers in Kirklees are subject to cross border enforcement by licensing authorities outside their area, which allows for county-wide scrutiny.
In addition a national database holds drivers’ names, local authority details and information on whether a licence has been revoked, refused or suspended.
Labour councillor Sheikh Ullah asked: “Is it still the case that if someone applies for a licence for Wolverhampton what further checks are being taken if they are coming back into the Kirklees area?
“In terms of an enforcement point of view, how pinned down is that?”
Kirklees Council’s service director for child protection and family support, Elaine McShane, said the council did work with other local authorities but “there are times when we cannot influence decisions if they have been taken elsewhere”.
The Conservatives’ Donna Bellamy and Lisa Holmes both expressed concern that whilst safeguarding training had been offered to takeaway owners and B&B operators the take-up had been low.
“There are a lot of B&Bs in Kirklees. They pop up and disappear quite quickly,” said Clr Bellamy.
“What steps can you take to get to them? Sometimes you have to get out rather than expect them to come to you.”
Some taxi drivers in Rotherham were at the heart of the child sex abuse scandal as they used their vehicles to ferry children and abusers around the town.
The authorities were sharply criticised when it emerged that around 1,400 children were abused by men of predominantly Pakistani heritage.
More stringent controls were introduced in the wake of the scandal including the introduction of CCTV cameras in drivers’ taxis.
However there remained concerns that drivers licensed elsewhere could still enter Rotherham and not be subject to the same rules.
