CHILDREN’S Services boss Frank Connor has pledged cash for key agencies protecting Blackburn with Darwen youngsters has been ring-fenced from cuts.

He was responding to concerns from his Tory opposition counterpart that any savings could put the borough’s young people at risk of a Rochdale or Rotherham-style grooming scandal.

The issue was raised at Blackburn with Darwen’s full council forum when it debated the Labour group’s proposals to save £31 million between 2015 and 2018.

Borough resources boss Andy Kay said it was impossible to protect children’s and adult social services from all cuts as they made up almost two-thirds of the budget.

This alarmed Conser-vative Children’s Services spokeswoman Julie Slater.

She said: “Can I have an assurance on key child pro-tection services. We don’t want another Rotherham in our borough.” An inde-pendent report last month revealed that 1,400 children in Rotherham were abused by gangs of men, mainly of Pakistani origin, between 1997 and 2013 It follows a similar scandal in Rochdale.

Coun Connor gave the meeting a categorical pro-mise that the budgets of four key child protection services would be ring-fenced.

He said: “I can assure you there will be no cuts to the Engage Team, Blackburn with Darwen Local Safe-guarding Children Board, Voice Participation, and MASH (the Multi-Agency Service Hub).” The Engage Team, set up in March 2008 by the borough council and Lancashire Police’s East-ern Division to combat the risk of child sexual abuse by gangs, is seen as a pioneering initiative and been extended to other agencies.

It has been copied across Lancashire and the UK.

The local safeguarding board oversees child protection in the borough, MASH brings together different services to help vulnerable youngsters and Voice Participation ensures young people at risk have a say in the protection services on offer to them.