Investigation update following committee meeting

The cross-party committee established following Chief Executive Kate Josephs’ statement on January 14 has met again ahead of the upcoming independent investigation.

Preparations are being made and it is expected that the investigation will take a number of weeks. There is a prescribed process that must be followed, which means little detail can be shared publicly.

During this time, Kate will remain on discretionary leave and interim leadership arrangements will be put in place. These will be shared as soon as possible.

Leader of Sheffield City Council, Cllr Terry Fox, said: “I know there is understandably interest from people in Sheffield, and I have spoken before about the depth of feeling we’ve seen on this issue – I absolutely understand that. I have to be clear though that there’s a rigid process we need to follow. That is why we have put a committee in place to deal with this, and we will need to let them, and the independent investigator, do their work. In the meantime, I’m putting interim arrangements in place, and the council will continue – as it has been – to deliver for the people of Sheffield. There are fantastic things happening here in Sheffield and we have exciting times ahead. Our committed workforce have been fantastic, and together we continue to drive this city forward.”