EX-COPPER Richard Boyles hopes his expertise fighting crime will help solve the county’s children services crisis.

Councillor Boyles (Con, Blakeney & Bream), a former Forest chief inspector, was recently appointed as Gloucestershire County Council’s cabinet member for children and young people and says he is relishing the challenge of turning things around.

So far Shire Hall has appointed two highly skilled interim managers and is looking to implement a long term fix after Ofsted inspectors found the authority was failing vulnerable children.

Cllr Boyles said: “It’s something we have just got to get right.

“We were leaving people in positions where they were exposed to risk and harm. That’s the criticism we are under.

“From now on children have got to be at the front and centre of everything we do and I don’t think they were.

“Nobody pretends it’s going to be easy and it won’t be a short term fix. We are looking at 18 to 24 months or maybe a little bit longer.

“Anyone can change stuff quickly for the short term but that doesn’t make it stick.

“We’ve appointed highly skilled interim managers who come from other authorities who have been in Ofsted inspections.

“They’ve come here to help us set up the path out.”

Cllr Boyles was offered the position shortly after the county council elections on May 5.

He was informed of the upcoming Ofsted report and asked if he would take on the challenge.

He said: “I was offered this cabinet position and that was the first time that I knew about this and it was at the interview that I was told what was coming at us.

“I have a background of multi-agency work with the police, I have a background of investigation and a background of challenge from my previous role.

“Having worked as a community inspector in Cheltenham and a neighbourhood inspector in the Forest of Dean.

“I understand the networks already and I also know a number of the people.”

Cllr Boyles also highlighted there was an environment of bullying and a lack of communication between frontline staff and senior managers.

He now hopes to be the point of contact for frontline workers to express their problems to and then relay these to senior staff.

He said: “There was a disconnect between the social workers on the frontline and the senior managers. That’s been recognised.

“There was a fear of coming forward, a bullying environment in which people didn’t feel free to challenge and come forward with their views.

“As a personal commitment I am going to spend time with our front line staff listening to their stories and concerns and then bring them back into the improvement board.”

The county council invested £2m into recruiting social workers in 2016 and has set aside £9m in the current budget for social work and frontline child protection.?

Cllr Boyles said: “That was set aside before Ofsted came. There was a real recognition towards the later part of last year that we really needed to start investing.”