Trafford Council leader Tom Ross is facing calls to resign after Ofsted rated the council's children's services 'inadequate', citing delays that left children in 'potentially unsafe' situations. Emergency meetings have been scheduled to discuss the findings.
Ofsted report details serious failings
A two-week inspection found ineffective leadership and 'unrealistic expectations' placed on children to keep themselves safe. Ofsted outlined a 'serious deterioration' in some service areas and said leaders had 'not fully understood the scale and impact of this on children and families'.
The council apologised for not providing its youngsters with 'the standard of service they have a right to expect' and said it is 'determined to put it right'.
Opposition calls for resignation
Trafford's Conservative group, the main opposition, believes the inspection result represents a 'serious failure of governance and accountability'. The group is calling on the council to declare it has 'lost confidence' in the Labour administration and for council leader Tom Ross to resign.
A spokesperson for Trafford Conservatives said: "This is a devastating report about the council's most fundamental responsibility – protecting vulnerable children. What makes these findings even more serious is that Trafford has been here before [...] Seven years, countless improvement plans and repeated inspections later, Ofsted has effectively sounded the same alarm again: leaders did not fully understand the scale of serious problems until inspectors arrived. That raises a fundamental question: what exactly was learned from 2019?"
Broader concerns and council response
The Green Party's Jennie Wadsworth, a member of the children's scrutiny committee, said: "This inspection highlights what residents have been saying for a long time - that the council is too slow to provide the support that children and families need. The report is clear that the longer families have to wait, the higher the risk of an adverse outcome."
Liberal Democrat leader Shaun Ennis said the report was a 'devastating outcome' for Trafford and 'deeply concerning for families and young people'.
Just a week later, adult social care services were rated 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission, which found long waits, low satisfaction, and 'ineffective' sharing of safeguarding lessons.
The council said it is developing a 'clear improvement plan' with 'immediate actions, priorities, responsible officers, timescales, risk management and preparation for future Ofsted monitoring visits'. The Government is expected to appoint an 'expert adviser' to work with the local authority.
Coun Ross said: "We are already taking action to strengthen leadership oversight, practice, governance and assurance arrangements, and we will work closely with the Department for Education, the independent Expert Adviser, partners, elected members and staff as we deliver the improvements required. I want to thank our staff for their continued hard work and commitment to children and families in Trafford."
The emergency full council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, with an emergency children's scrutiny panel meeting the day before.
