BBC Children in Need chair resigns with angry broadside at chief executive

Rosie Millard, 59, told the committee of the foundation she was resigning implicit “institutional failure”, and accused chief executive, Simon Antrobus, of failing to instrumentality contention astir the grants seriously.

It comes aft Children successful Need gave £466,000 to LGBT Youth Scotland, with the grants starting 7 months aft its erstwhile main executive, James Rennie, was convicted successful 2009 of kid enactment attacks.

Another worker affiliated with the LGBT Youth Scotland (LGBTYS) was besides convicted this twelvemonth of sharing indecent images of children, including immoderate of newborn babies.

In a missive seen by The Times newspaper, Ms Millard criticised Mr Antrobus implicit his handling of the matter, saying helium had complained upon proceeding of the 2009 lawsuit that it had spoiled his enjoyment of a Bruce Springsteen concert.

She said grants were lone suspended to LGBTYS successful May aft she raised the case, and accused elder officials of dithering earlier yet decided to chopped the grants wholly 3 months later.

Ms Millard wrote successful her resignation missive that Mr Antrobus and elder managers “did everything successful their powerfulness to distract the committee from its work to sever funding” to LGBTYS.

She accused Mr Antrobus arsenic “solipsistic”, claiming helium lone yet ordered the withdrawal of funds to the foundation “out of fearfulness of publicity”, pursuing “dithering and delay”.

Rennie was sentenced to beingness successful jailhouse with a minimum of eight-and-a-half years for sexually assaulting a three-month-old kid successful 2009.

Meanwhile, further questions were raised astir Children successful Need’s grants to the foundation aft Andrew Easton, who co-authored the charity’s erstwhile schools guidance, was convicted of kid enactment offences.

He was sentenced to a assemblage bid aft detectives recovered chat logs betwixt Easton and idiosyncratic helium believed to beryllium a susceptible 13-year-old, arsenic good arsenic images featuring newborn babies.

A BBC Children successful Need spokesperson said: “Nothing is much important to america than the information of each children and young people. When allegations were made successful narration to LGBT Youth Scotland their assistance was instantly suspended with the afloat enactment of the committee and a reappraisal began.

“In bid to bash this thoroughly and reasonably the reappraisal took 3 months and culminated successful the determination to retreat funding.

“The Children successful Need committee of trustees are supportive of the actions taken by the CEO and elder enactment squad and basal by the decisions made.

“Rosie astatine each times retained the board’s support. In the aftermath of her resignation, successful bid to guarantee immoderate lessons learnt are captured, the trustees person instigated a reappraisal of ways of moving betwixt the committee and enforcement successful which Rosie has kindly agreed to participate.”

But Mhairi Crawford, main enforcement of LGBTYS, claimed Ms Millard’s resignation missive was portion of her “ideologically driven” onslaught connected LGBTYS.

“We are pleased to spot confirmation that Children successful Need’s investigations into the enactment of LGBT Youth Scotland recovered thing to report,” they said.

“Time and clip again, those with anti-inclusivity motives constituent to historical allegations successful attempts to destruct our reputation. Allegations that person been investigated and cleared by Police Scotland, and proven to person had nary nexus to our work.”