THE leader of Thurrock Council said the authority is working hard to prevent the borough ever experiencing a sexual exploitation scandal like the one seen in Rotherham.

John Kent, the council's Labour leader, said that while it would be "arrogant and complacent" for any council leader to give an absolute guarantee that such sexual exploitation does not exist on their patch, he said the council is working hard to prevent any similar scandal.

He told the councillors that staff were being trained "to recognise the signs and to know what to do when they see them".

He added that close links had been "developed with the licensing team so they too are trained to see the danger signs – especially in the cases of taxis and budget hotels".

Mr Kent said such work had already seen a taxi driver have their license revoked.

His response came after he was challenged by Ukip councillor Robert Ray on whether or not he could assure residents that "the truly scandalous incidents that have taken place in Rotherham and Rochdale" are not happening in Thurrock.

A report called the "Jay Report", published in August, uncovered widespread child sexual abuse in the town of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, between 1997 and 2013, and its subsequent cover-up.

Mr Kent said: "I don’t think it would be possible for the leader of any council to give an absolute guarantee in this area, it would show amazing arrogance and complacency.

"There have been similar outrages in Rochdale, Derby and Oxfordshire which shows that this can happen anywhere.

"In every case something new is identified as the central issue and I can say with confidence that Thurrock Council and our partners take the issue of child abuse in all its horrific forms very seriously.

"We have rolled out awareness courses to staff in all the different agencies that make up the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board, making sure they are trained to recognise the signs and that they know what to do when they see them.

"We have also developed close links with our licensing team so they too are trained to see the danger signs – especially in the cases of taxis and budget hotels.”

He added: "Following the publication of the Jay Report, we and our partners are going back over previous cases where sexual exploitation was raised as a possible issue and checking again. Not just recent cases but historic ones too.

“And we have developed a flexible response approach to respond to and learn from our own cases and the experiences of other areas.”

Mr Kent also told members about the recently launched Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub.

He said: "There is a specially designed room in this building where representatives from all the different agencies sit and work together; it is a room where reports of possible child abuse in Thurrock arrive; and it is a room where discussion between partners is encouraged."