Kate Josephs: Here is the complete saga of Sheffield CEO's involvement in Partygate

The £190,000-a-year council boss has been on paid leave since January after she admitted holding a boozy gathering as she left her role as director general of the Government’s Covid Taskforce.

Here is everything you need to know about the scandal.

What happened at Kate Josephs’ leaving do according to Sue Gray?

Ms Josephs held her leaving do on December 17, 2020, as she departed her role as director general of the Government’s Covid Taskforce to join Sheffield Council.

In this post, she was a lead figure in writing lockdown restrictions for the country.

The Sue Gray report revealed how up to 40 staff were invited to a five-hour ‘Covid secure drink’ event when the UK was in a tier three lockdown.

The invitation, sent on Ms Josephs’ behalf, read: “We are leaving the COVID taskforce :(

“Given higher COVID restrictions please do not travel into London for this if you wouldn’t otherwise have been in the office.

“We’d love it if you could join us for a farewell, COVID secure drink.”

But the report laid bare that whatever ‘COVID secure’ was meant to mean, it did not last.

The report reads: “The intention was to follow the social distancing guidance by observing a one way system, social distancing and other precautionary measures.

“This did not happen as those in the room gathered in small groups, and there was also mingling between groups.

“There was food and drink available, including crisps, beer and prosecco that had been purchased by individuals attending. Background music was played through a smartphone. Some people left after the speeches.”

The event lasted hours and “began to wind down” by 10pm. By 10.30pm, six to eight staff were left. At 22.44pm, someone ordered six pizzas for the group.

Kate Josephs left at around 12.23am after tidying up.

Meanwhile, “a small number of staff” took the link door into No 10 Down Street to join a separate leaving party between 12.43am and 12.49am.

Ms Josephs was later given a Fixed Penalty Notice for the breach in the first wave of fines, which she says she “paid immediately”.

How long has Kate Josephs been on gardening leave?

In December 2021, The Star made several requests for information and asked Sheffield City Council if the chief executive had attended a Downing Street party at any point. Ms Josephs continued to categorically deny that she had.

News finally broke that she had held a leaving do in the Cabinet Office, around the corner from Downing Street, on January 14, 2022. Ms Josephs called The Star to admit she had been at a party, just minutes before posting a statement on Twitter admitting the breach.

In this post, she apologised and went on paid gardening leave for her £190,000 job while waiting for the Cabinet Office investigation to conclude.

However, on June 29, she revealed she sought “advice” from “her former employers” in Whitehall about admitting the breach before thinking to tell council leader Terry Fox. She claimed this was the reason she “did not speak out about it until January”.

Eugene Walker was made interim chief executive in her absence, who himself is usually paid around £150,000 per year.

With her return to her post yesterday, Ms Josephs’ paid leave lasted five months and 16 days.

In that time, Ms Josephs went to ground and declined all requests for interviews.

What did Sheffield City Council do about Kate Joseph’s leaving do?

The absent chief executive and the City Council came under fire from dozens of Sheffield institutions and business heads for delaying the outcome.

Council investigations and deliberations on her future at the authority have been shrouded in secrecy for months.

In fact, the council did not even reveal the name of the independent investigator brought in to examine the case, and refused to say what the scope of their investigation was or how much it cost. The press was also barred from meetings.

On June 29, a cross-party committee decided to allow Ms Josephs to return to work following nearly half a year on paid leave.

She has announced she will donate a percentage of her salary as part of her apology.

Ms Josephs said she would try to make amends as she broke her silence in one of the first interviews since she left.

“I completely understand why people are frustrated about the fact that I have been off and have been paid,” she said.

“I emphasise with that as a public servant for all of my life. I’m really glad to be able to be back at work. I have tried really hard during my time off to make sure I’m doing something useful. I’ve been volunteering in the city with grassroots organisations and I would have returned to work in a heartbeat if I could have done.

“The committee felt that it was the right thing for me to be on discretionary leave and I have to respect that decision.”

In a bizarre twist, soon after the statement, the Sheffield City Council Twitter page began retweeting her critics online.

@SheffCouncil, which has 114,000 followers, retweeted Laura Steeler who wrote: ‘Absolute garbage. As predicted’.

And it ‘retweeted’ ‘Mally’ who said: ‘Ask her for her gardening leave money back, that would be a start.’

It also appeared to endorse Andy Wroe who posted: ’75 households full year’s council tax money wasted on her six months leave.

There was speculation it was the action of a disgruntled employee. The retweets were later deleted.

A spokesperson for the council said: “It is too early to confirm the cause of this, and we are investigating as a matter of urgency.”