The five commissioners appointed to take over scandal-hit Rotherham Council have been announced by local government secretary, Eric Pickles.

Pickles has confirmed the commission will be headed by by Sir Derek Myers the former chief of London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham.

The take over comes in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal and an inspection report which found the council was not fit for purpose.

The former chief executive of of Barking and Dagenham, Coventry, Redditch and West Berkshire councils, Stella Manzie, will take on the day to day running of all services until a permanent chief executive is appointed.

In a statement, Mr Pickles said: ‘Louise Casey and Professor Alexis Jay’s reports made clear that Rotherham suffered from a complete failure of political and officer leadership, with a pervading culture of bullying, sexism, suppression and misplaced political correctness that has cemented the council’s failures. While we do not take such significant steps lightly, the council is currently incapable of tackling its weakness without substantial intervention.

‘However I am confident that with the right leadership provided by these five commissioners we can give Rotherham the fresh start it needs. The people of Rotherham and, most importantly, the victims of child sexual exploitation, need better services than they have been given until now and deserve a council they can trust to provide them.’

For full coverage of the Rotherham scandal, visit The MJ (£).

Photo: ©JThomas