Rochdale Council chief exec accused of ‘grinding’ on young care leaver during drunken awards night

Rochdale council is under pressure after it emerged that its chief executive, James Binks, was subject to a disciplinary investigation into inappropriate behaviour toward a young female graduate during his previous role at Manchester City Council.

A report by independent law firm Weightmans LLP, and reported on by The Mill, now circulated among council members, outlines how James Binks, then assistant chief executive at Manchester City Council, was witnessed “inappropriately touching and grinding” on a junior female colleague during a post-awards night out.

The woman, early in her career and with experience in the care system, had been socialising after a formal staff event alongside other young graduates and senior executives. The group visited Albert’s Schloss and then Dirty Martini on Peter Street, where the incident occurred.

The report describes the atmosphere that evening as “sleazy”, with graduates reportedly unprepared for the “level of creepiness” they encountered. One witness said Binks had his arms around the woman, who appeared visibly uncomfortable. The council’s then HR director, Mark Bennett, witnessed the behaviour and pulled Binks aside. However, the report states that neither he nor another senior officer took further action, and no investigation was opened at the time.

A formal complaint was eventually submitted in summer 2025 by a group of staff, prompting Manchester City Council to launch a full external investigation.

By that point, Binks had left Manchester and been appointed chief executive of Rochdale Council in April. A Rochdale Council spokesperson confirmed that standard recruitment procedures had been followed and that no concerns were raised by Manchester during referencing. The council says it has now received the findings of the investigation and is following its “normal processes”.

In a statement, the council said:

“We expect the highest standards of behaviour from all members of our staff. We recently received information from Manchester City Council in relation to a disciplinary investigation involving a former member of their staff and are following our normal processes.”

The Weightmans report upheld the complaint against Binks. It also substantiated a separate allegation against Paul Marshall, then deputy chief executive at Manchester and formerly director of children’s services. The report found Marshall made a suggestive phone call to the same woman, telling her she needed to “convince me to come back out”.

Marshall has since left the council. Bennett, who failed to initiate a disciplinary process after witnessing Binks’s behaviour, is also understood to be leaving his role. Manchester City Council has confirmed that all three men are no longer employed there.

Sara Rowbotham, former deputy leader of Rochdale Council and a key whistleblower in the borough’s grooming scandal, said Binks’s position was “untenable” Stated when speaking to The Mill:

“When you work for a local authority, those are our children. We can’t have that kind of behaviour from a senior professional. He needs the book thrown at him.”

Rochdale’s two MPs have called for transparency and accountability. Labour MP Paul Waugh described the allegations as serious and said any investigation must “follow the evidence wherever it leads”. Heywood and Middleton North MP Elsie Blundell added:

“It has become clear that the council is only going to be able to move forward if responsibility is taken and apologies are made. I hope this will happen swiftly.”

James Binks is pictured speaking at the White Ribbon event at Riverside. Credit: Rochdale Council

Just days before the findings were shared with Rochdale Council, Binks had spoken at a White Ribbon event in the borough, where he urged men to reflect on their actions in tackling violence against women. He said:

“Men can promote equality and respect… and think about their own actions and values.”

Rowbotham said speaking to The Mill that Binks’s remarks were at odds with his conduct, describing the incident as “the equivalent of a 1970s squeeze of the bottom in the workplace”. She added: “They are dismissing her account, because her word isn’t worth anything.”

Cllr Daniel Meredith, press officer to the Rochdale Labour Group, said speaking to Roch Valley Radio:

The Rochdale Labour Group was made aware today and has asked Rochdale Borough Council’s Monitoring Officer to review the report about Mr James Binks whilst employed by Manchester City Council. This is at request of the Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, Cllr Neil Emmott.