Kate Josephs: Secrecy surrounds fines over her leaving party which breached Covid-19 rules she helped create

Ms Josephs, who at the time was leaving her role as director-general of the Covid-19 taskforce, is currently suspended as Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, which pays £190,000 a year.

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

Fixed penalty notices have been issued against attendees, according to media reports.

However, it is not known if Ms Josephs herself has been fined, with the Met, which has investigated alleged breaches at Government gatherings, having not named anybody involved.

Sheffield Council has also refused to reveal any information.

Now, readers of The Star have had their say on the scandal, which has seen officials call for Ms Josephs’ resignation.

“Before people comment as to why she should still be in a job its simple,” reader Malcolm Wood said. “She was not convicted of anything. (If) she has received a Fixed Penalty Notice, many people on here have had them for driving offences. It’s not right or just but it is the law. Also the offences took place under her previous job so she cannot be dismissed for misconduct of another job.”

In response, another reader, Steve Platts, wrote: “If (for example) a police officer had broken the law, I wouldn’t expect them to get away with nothing more than a fine and some weak apology, I’d expect them to be sacked. This is the same for Kate Josephs, she’s not some ‘lackey’ with little to no responsibility, she the head of the Covid taskforce and someone who should’ve being leading by example.

“Why should anybody at all have been expected to follow the rules, when the very people issuing them, didn’t follow them?”

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, and apologised.

She has not responded to media inquiries about the fine.

Meanwhile, the council brought in an external investigator, who has not been 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 is has been kept secret by the local authority.

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

“What a farce,” commented Star reader Matthew Eyre.

“Is this the standard we should expect from those in public office?” said reader Richard Perry.

A Freedom of Information request confirmed Sheffield Council does hold correspondence with the Cabinet Office about the event but it is withholding it, arguing that keeping it secret is in the public interest.

The committee comprises of councillors Penny Baker, Douglas Johnson, Shaffaq Mohammed and Sioned-Mair Richards and it is chaired by Councillor Julie Grocutt.