Kate Josephs: Interim Sheffield Council boss appointed as party probe continues

Eugene Walker said there was "important work to be done" on Sheffield's budget and other objectives

An interim chief executive has been appointed while investigations continue into a council boss who attended a leaving drinks party during lockdown.

Eugene Walker is to take on the role at Sheffield City Council while Kate Josephs remains on paid leave.

Ms Josephs has been on leave from her £190,000-a-year role since it emerged she was at the party at her previous Cabinet Office job in December 2020.

Council leader Terry Fox said it had been a "challenging time".

Councillor Fox had confirmed that Mr Walker, the authority's head of resources, would step up as acting chief executive for the interim period, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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The authority initially set up a cross-party committee to decide what should happen after Ms Josephs admitted to gathering with colleagues in the Cabinet Office for drinks.

The committee then announced it was bringing in an external investigator, who has yet to be announced.

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

The investigator is to report back to the committee, which will then decide its next steps.

Mr Fox said he knew the "depth of feeling" on the issue, but said there was "a rigid process we need to follow".

Ms Josephs, who began her new role at Sheffield Council in January 2021, said in a statement last month that she was "truly sorry" for joining the event.

It was held while London was under Tier 3 restrictions, which banned most indoor mixing between people from different households.

She also apologised "unreservedly" to the people of Sheffield, who she said had "suffered greatly during this pandemic".