Council boss will not resign after murder of Arthur
DEFIANT Solihull Council chief executive Nick Page told MPs he will not resign over the murder of Arthur LabinjoHughes despite admitting it was ‘‘inappropriate’’ to draw his full salary.
He made the admission under questioning before The Commons’ Education Select Committee this week.
Asked if the public would see him drawing full pay, reported at £201,000 in 2021, as inappropriate based on the authority’s failures, he simply replied “yes”.
He made the remarks to MPs as he faced three hours of questioning on how the inconceivable scale of abuse and torture against little Arthur was allowed.
The committee excoriated council bosses, finding they failed to make significant changes in the wake of Arthur’s murder.
It was also heard how social workers ‘‘ignored’’ bruises on little Arthur rather than missing them as the failures in his case we laid bare.
Mr Page admitted the council had “failed in our duty of care to Arthur”.
He added: “This lovely little boy was brutally murdered, and we didn’t do what we should have done.” He was asked by the committee: “Do you not recognise that the general public would consider that drawing a full salary of this sort of level does seem inappropriate given the level of failure that you’ve been presiding over? He replied: “Yes.”
When asked by MPs if he was surprised he was still in post, he replied: “I’m obviously employed by the council and if the leader of the council and the councillors felt I was incapable of carrying out my duties then clearly they would sack me.”
Arthur was murdered by his stepmother, Emma Tustin, at their Cranmore Road home in Solihull.
Tustin was jailed for life with a minimum term of 29 years at Coventry Crown Court in December last year.
Arthur’s father, Thomas Hughes, 29, was jailed for 21 years after being found guilty of manslaughter.
It was found that critical opportunities to save Arthur were missed, including the damning discovery that bruising to his back was “ignored”.
When asked if he had thought of resigning, Mr Page, who has been Solihull Council chief executive since 2014 said: “I’ve turned round failing services, the truth is not a day goes by where I don’t think, am I doing enough?
“At this stage I’m not going to resign because of all the levels of accountability.”
Mr Page faced tough questions alongside Tim Browne, interim director of children’s services, Solihull Council, as both admitted the council had let down little Arthur.
Mr Browne said: “As a council we have looked at ourselves long and hard and had many many discussions, debates looking at both the practice, leadership and looking forward to seeing how we can take the services through where we are now through to being outstanding services.”
The Government’s safeguarding review found desperate reports of Arthur’s abuse by family members were not properly investigated.
It also found the fatal abuses suffered by the children “are not isolated incidents” and that concerns raised by family members were disregarded too often.