Kate Josephs: Sheffield Council boss remains on paid leave

Kate Josephs left the Cabinet Office to work for Sheffield City Council

Investigations into a council boss's Whitehall leaving drinks will continue for at least another month.

Former Covid Taskforce head Kate Josephs attended the gathering as she quit the Cabinet Office in December 2020.

She has been on paid leave from her £190,000-a-year Sheffield City Council chief executive role since issuing an apology over the Westminster bash.

Council leader Terry Fox said "there's a rigid process we need to follow".

The council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that an independent investigation into the party would take at least four weeks to complete and likely longer.

Interim leadership arrangements will be put in place with details released soon.

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Councillor Terry Fox said a committee was in place to look at what happened alongside an independent investigator yet to be appointed.

"There are questions to be answered and we need to look into that," he said. "As I've said, people have got to look in the mirror and get to where they are. So we will see how that investigation goes."

In January, a report by civil servant Sue Gray into allegations of rule-breaking in government named the event as one of 12 being investigated by police.

The council initially set up a cross party committee to decide what should happen after Ms Josephs admitted to breaking the rules in a public statement on Twitter.

The committee then announced it was bringing in an external investigator earlier this month.

Councillor Fox previously said he was "acutely aware people have an agreed process and that process has to be followed" and "also to be fair to Kate, it gives her an opportunity to put her side over as well".