A Labour councillor and former health worker has been awarded an MBE for her role in bringing to the light a child sex abuse ring in Rochdale.
Sara Rowbotham, a Labour Councillor for North Middleton Ward, played an integral role in exposing the abuse of young girls in the area between 2005-11.
As a front line sexual health worker who led the NHS crisis team, she made 181 referrals detailing the abuse and sexual grooming of young people during this period.
She subsequently had a BBC film made about her involvement in the case, called Three Girls, whichfirst aired back in 2017 and saw Maxine Peake play her.
Following the screening of the film, a petition was launched online calling for her to be formally recognized for her services to the Rochdale community.
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Five years later, it’s finally happened.
Sara said that being awarded the MBE shows she ‘did the right thing’.
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She added that the award gives validation not just to her but to her whole team and that it was ‘quite emotional to think things have come so far, and to receive this honour is really important’.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Sara was appointed MBE for services to young people by the Princess Royal in a ceremony at Windsor Castle, after making hundreds of referrals detailing the sexual grooming and abuse whilst working for the NHS over a period of six years.
Girls as young as thirteen, reported Sara at the time, were being plied with drink and drugs and ‘passed around’ by older men who used them for sex.
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Initially, her reports were not taken seriously but over time, thanks to her persistence, the perpetrators were brought to justice.
As part of this, she presented her findings to the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2012, telling them that her bosses had ignored repeated warnings about the grooming of young girls.
Sara was made redundant in 2014 – two years after presenting to the Rochdale inquiry and blowing the whistle on those senior to her.
Having been made an MBE, Ms Rowbotham told the PA News Agency it was “quite emotional to think things have come so far, and to receive this honour is really important”.
“It really reminds me of those times and it’s almost a bit of a trigger after coming to the end of such a horrible situation,” she said.
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“To be recognised for the hard work and energy and effort of not only myself, but the rest of my team is really important.”
She said it was “really important that people understand the complexities of exploitation”, adding: “It is a really difficult phenomena.”
“I did feel as though I was kind of being pushed aside – for then everybody else to recognise that I did the right thing is validation really,” she said.
“The energy and effort that was put in, the anger and the frustration that I felt is acknowledged.”
Feature image – Twitter
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Huge shuttle bus effort laid on to get Manchester United fans to Old Trafford amid tram disruption
Daisy Jackson
Transport for Greater Manchester has announced a shuttle bus scheme to help Manchester United fans get to Old Trafford this week, amid major tram disruption.
Fans won’t be able to use trams to get to the ground as usual, due to huge improvement works which are in place until Monday 2 November.
There’ll be no trams at all on the Altrincham, Trafford Park, and Eccles lines, with Airport and East Didsbury trams only going as far as Firswood.
That means that fans heading to Manchester United’s home game against Bournemouth would have been a little stuck without this newly-announced shuttle bus service.
Frequent dedicated shuttle buses will run running Piccadilly Gardens, Altrincham Interchange and the Trafford Centre, taking fans directly to Old Trafford before the game.
Frequencies range from five to 20 minutes depending on the route and time, with details available online. Return services will be in place after the final whistle.
TfGM staff will be at key stops and interchanges throughout the day to help fans get to the match and provide travel advice.
Huge shuttle bus effort laid on to get Manchester United fans to Old Trafford amid tram disruption. Credit: TfGM
Ian Davies, TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “There is no good time to disrupt passengers to carry out these works, and this is the first time in over a decade that trams won’t serve Old Trafford on a match day, but these works are essential and will enable us to provide a better service in future. I am very sorry to fans who face disruption.
“We’ve put a range of alternative travel options in place, including dedicated shuttle buses, bolstered Bee Network bus services, rail options and ticket acceptance arrangements will help fans get to and from the game.
“Journey options will be different from usual, so we would encourage supporters to plan ahead, check their route and our website before they travel and leave plenty of time to get to and from the stadium.”
TfGM is advising supporters to leave around an hour earlier to help make sure they arrive in time for kick-off.
Andy Burnham introduces new rules to tackle ‘rip-off’ parking charges
Daisy Jackson
City centre parking is at a premium, especially in a city like Manchester – but we’ve surely all made honest mistakes when paying and been slapped with eye-watering fines as a result.
Well now, Andy Burnham has announced a new Private Parking Code of Practice, which will clamp down on ‘rip-off’ private parking charges.
It will also make it easier for drivers to challenge unfair charges, capping charges for ‘smaller slip-ups’ at £20, and scrapping charges altogether on appeal for ‘honest mistakes’.
The new Code will get drivers a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave once their session ends.
Under the new Private Parking Code of Practice laid in Parliament today, you’ll be able to appeal to have all charges scrapped for honest mistakes like stopping briefly to check directions, and for situations like a medical emergency, breakdown or broken ticket machine.
Then charges will be capped at £20 for other mistakes such as forgetting a parking permit, entering the wrong vehicle’s registration or forgetting to confirm it in the machine when parking.
The Code also freezes the maximum parking charge at £100. Operators who don’t comply risk losing access to DVLA data, meaning that even if they issue a charge, it will be far more difficult to identify the registered owner to pursue payment.
Data shows just under 17 million private parking charges were issued in the UK last year alone.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your numberplate wrong shouldn’t end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat.
“These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I’m putting a stop to them.
Andy Burnham introduces new rules to tackle ‘rip-off’ parking charges. Credit: Unsplash, Samuel Isaacs
“We are introducing clearer rules, longer grace periods and lower charges for genuine mistakes, while going after the deliberate scams that rip drivers off.”
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said: “Parking should be straightforward, not another everyday hassle. These changes mean drivers get a fairer deal, protected time to park and leave without fear of being unfairly charged, and confidence that private parking providers are held to a higher standard.
“It’s yet another step forward in this government’s plan to take the stress out of everyday life and ease the pressure on people’s pockets.”
Minister for Consumer Action, Kate Dearden, said: “Nobody works hard for their money just to be deceived by a dodgy trader, and this is exactly the kind of everyday rip-off this government is going after.
“By making it easier to take action against car clocking, we are protecting consumers’ hard-earned money and supporting businesses that play by the rules.”
Georgina Pellant -
16th March 2022 
