Victims say former Rotherham council chiefs who failed to tackle child sex grooming on their watch , such as Roger Stone ( pictured with Dolly Parton ) , should be stripped of honours . Former council chiefs who failed to tackle child sex grooming on their watch should be stripped of their honours , say victims and campaigners . They warn that letting the ex-officials keep their awards will ‘ bring shame ’ on the system . Those criticised over the Rotherham scandal , in which horrific abuse was ignored , include former council leader Roger Stone OBE and ex-children ’ s services and education heads Joyce Thacker OBE and Diane Billups MBE . Former South Yorkshire chief constable Meredydd Hughes CBE has also come under fire for claiming not to know about the scale of child grooming in Rotherham . Campaigning MP Simon Danczuk , a member of Parliament ’ s Communities and Local Government Committee which will grill Mr Stone today , said : ‘ It brings shame on the honours system if these awards are not removed . ‘ If these people have any decency , they will give back their honours . These people have badly let down vulnerable young girls and turned a blind eye to the most horrendous abuse. ’ The council and police in Rotherham were savaged in two reports by independent expert Professor Alexis Jay and Home Office official Louise Casey . At least 1,400 girls in the town were exploited over 16 years by gangs of mainly Pakistani men . Local Labour MP Sarah Champion said the number may be as high as 2,000 as more young women are coming forward all the time . David Greenwood , a solicitor representing 40 of the victims , said : ‘ They [ the officials ] have been shown in evidence-based reports to have been asleep on the job . It undermines the integrity of the system if these people retain their awards . They should be forced to give them up. ’ According to Mrs Casey , the establishment in Rotherham ignored child sexual exploitation due to ‘ misplaced political correctness ’ . Police also saw victims as ‘ little slags ’ , said one person interviewed for her report . Mrs Casey highlighted examples including an officer who told one victim : ‘ Don ’ t worry – you aren ’ t the first girl to be raped by XX and you won ’ t be the last. ’ One of the victims in Rotherham , known as Jessica , said : ‘ It is ridiculous that these people still have their honours . How can they keep them when they let 2,000 girls down ? ’ Senior officials who have apologised over the Oxford abuse scandal , in which at least 300 girls were groomed , also hold honours . Oxfordshire County Council chief executive Joanna Simons has a CBE , while Thames Valley chief constable Sara Thornton was awarded a CBE and Queen ’ s Policing Medal . Honours can be removed from those who damage the ‘ system ’ s reputation ’ . Any decision has to be taken by the Honours Forfeiture Committee , whose recommendation is sent to the Queen for final approval . A Government spokesman said : ‘ Forfeiture action is confidential and we can not comment on whether or not specific cases are being considered. ’ Mr Stone , Mr Hughes and Mrs Thacker were unavailable for comment . Mrs Billups said : ‘ I know in my heart what I did and I know why I got the MBE and what I gave for it. ’ Criticised : Joyce Thacker OBE was Rotherham ’ s director of children ’ s services from 2008 to 2014 . JOYCE THACKER OBE : Rotherham ’ s director of children ’ s services , 2008-2014.Several abused girls were known to her team for months before any action was taken . ROGER STONE OBE : Leader of Rotherham Council , 2003-2014.Described in Louise Casey ’ s report as a ‘ bully ’ who presided over a ‘ macho culture ’ . MEREDYDD HUGHES CBE : South Yorkshire Chief Constable , 2004-11 . Savaged by Home Affairs Committee after admitting he had ‘ singularly failed ’ victims . DIANE BILLUPS MBE : Executive director of education at Rotherham , 2001-2005 . Accused of trying to force a researcher to remove sections of a report on child exploitation . JOANNA SIMONS CBE : Chief executive of Oxfordshire County Council since 2005 . Presided over ‘ systematic failure ’ which led to more than 300 girls becoming victims , according to the NSPCC charity . SARA THORNTON CBE : Outgoing Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police . After the publication of last week ’ s damning report into child sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire , she said : ‘ We didn ’ t appreciate the issues of CSE . ’
Campaigners say ex - officials who failed to act should receive OBEs and MBEs . Several local police chiefs were criticised over sex abuse scandal . MP Simon Danczuk said ' If these people have any conscience , they should take back their lives '