Birmingham and Wales Added to Growing List of Local Investigations in UK Grooming Gangs Inquiry

The statutory inquiry examining child sexual abuse carried out by grooming gangs has confirmed that Birmingham and Wales will be the next areas subjected to detailed local investigation, marking a significant expansion of its work across England and Wales.

The announcement was made by the inquiry, which is chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield, the former children's commissioner for England. The inquiry is conducting a series of targeted, local investigations as part of its broader national remit, with each location chosen based on a specific set of criteria.

Birmingham and Wales join a list of areas already under scrutiny. Investigations have previously been announced for Oldham in Greater Manchester, Bradford and Keighley in West Yorkshire, and London. The inquiry, which began its work in April this year with a budget of £65m, has the legal power to compel individuals and institutions to provide evidence.

According to the inquiry, its decision to launch a local investigation in Birmingham was driven by a combination of factors, including the experiences of victims and survivors, indications of the prevalence of abuse, the level of harm and risk involved, and broader public concern about the issue.

The inquiry will examine both the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in these areas and the response of the organisations that were responsible for protecting them. This dual focus reflects the inquiry's stated intention to understand not only what happened to children but also why the systems designed to safeguard them failed.

Panel member Zoë Billingham explained the approach the inquiry will take in Birmingham. She said the panel would look carefully at what organisations knew, how decisions were made, how agencies worked together, and why opportunities to protect children were missed. Her comments underline the inquiry's determination to hold institutions accountable for their actions and inactions.

Baroness Longfield addressed the situation in Wales directly, saying that victims and survivors there had waited too long for answers. She said the inquiry would help the panel understand why children were not protected and what needs to change in the future. Her remarks suggest the inquiry intends to produce findings that lead to concrete reforms rather than simply documenting past failures.

The national inquiry was first announced by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in June 2025. Its establishment followed years of campaigning by survivors and advocacy groups who argued that the scale of grooming gang abuse had been underestimated and that authorities had repeatedly failed to act on warnings.

The inquiry faced turbulence early in its existence when abuse survivors called on former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to quit. The controversy highlighted the intense public and political sensitivity surrounding the issue and the deep mistrust that many survivors feel towards official institutions.

Despite these difficulties, the inquiry formally started its work in April this year. It has previously stated that areas are selected for local investigation based on criteria including how victims and survivors were treated when they came forward to report abuse and whether opportunities to prevent harm were missed by authorities.

The inquiry's statutory status gives it significant powers. It can compel individuals and institutions to explain what they did or did not do to protect children from being sexually abused. This means that councils, police forces, social services, and other bodies will be required to account for their conduct, even if they would prefer not to.

The addition of Birmingham and Wales to the list of investigation sites reflects the inquiry's intention to examine the issue across different regions and communities. Each area has its own demographic makeup, institutional structures, and historical patterns of abuse and response, and the inquiry is expected to produce location-specific findings alongside broader national conclusions.

For victims and survivors in Birmingham and Wales, the announcement represents an opportunity to have their experiences formally acknowledged and examined. Many have waited years for authorities to take their accounts seriously, and the inquiry's findings could have significant implications for how child protection is handled in the future.

The inquiry's work is expected to continue for some time, with further locations potentially being added. Its final report is likely to make recommendations for changes to law, policy, and practice aimed at preventing future abuse and ensuring that children are better protected.