Speaking in the debate on Lancashire’s motion to cooperate fully with the national grooming gangs inquiry, Burnley’s Cllr Mark Poulton made the case for plain language and for keeping victims at the centre. His speech is above.
“Let us stop sanitising what happened,” he told the chamber. He argued that the word “grooming” understated the crime: “Grooming was simply the method used to gain control of vulnerable children.” If plain language made anyone uncomfortable, he said, “then perhaps they should reflect on the crimes themselves, not the words used to describe them.”
Cllr Poulton said he had sat with victims and heard their accounts firsthand, describing what happened as “one of the greatest safeguarding scandals our country has ever witnessed,” with children failed by those who should have protected them and many waiting far too long for justice.
He was clear about where the council’s duty lies. “Our duty is not to protect reputations,” he said, but “to stand unequivocally with the victims.” He pledged that Reform would “leave no stone unturned,” continuing to demand accountability and expose failings “until every offender is brought to justice, and anyone who enabled, ignored or covered up these crimes is fully held to account.”
The motion was carried on a recorded vote by 67 to 0. You can read our full report and watch Cllr Liam Thomson speak in the same debate.