Kate Josephs: Sheffield Council boss who wrote nation's Covid-19 restrictions fined over leaving do

Ms Josephs was in charge of writing lockdown laws before she took up her new role at the helm of the city council for £190,000.

However, as The Star revealed in January this year, the ex-director-general attended a ‘boozy’ leaving do with “dozens of officials” as she left her post on December 17, 2020.

Now, The Telegraph reports the ex-director-general was fined £50 by the Met Police in the first wave of penalties at the end of March over the ‘Partygate’ investigation.

Both Ms Josephs and the city council have been criticised for “secrecy” over the scandal.

Before the leaving do was revealed by the press almost a year after it happened, Ms Josephs posted a statement on social media saying she gathered with colleagues for drinks in the Cabinet Office.

Ms Josephs issued a public apology for her part in the event, saying she was "truly sorry" about her participation.

She has been on paid leave from her £190,000-a-year job since then.

In her job, she would have played a key role in writing the lockdown rules that were enforced across the country when her leaving party took place.

It was also revealed last week the official was under “no obligation” to inform the council if she was fined. She also declined to comment to any media enquiries.

The Telegraph reports she was issued an FPN on April 1, which has been paid, according to “sources close to the investigation”.

Meanwhile, the council brought in an external investigator, who was not named, to report back to a cross party committee with findings to inform their decision on what should be done.

Who the investigator is and what their remit was has been kept secret by the local authority.

The committee met in private in late March to discuss the investigation but the council said it will not share any information.

The committee is chaired by councillor Julie Grocutt, with councillors Penny Baker, Douglas Johnson, Shaffaq Mohammed and Sioned-Mair Richards.

Senior director Eugene Walker has been given a salary top-up to cover the CEO role in her absence.