Kate Josephs: Sheffield Council boss to return despite lockdown party

Kate Josephs' return to work as the authority's chief executive will be immediate, Sheffield City Council says

A council boss who was suspended after she attended a leaving drinks party during lockdown is to return to work.

Kate Josephs, Sheffield City Council's chief executive, admitted attending the event during her previous role in Whitehall in December 2020.

At the time, she was leaving her role as head of the Covid Taskforce.

In a statement, the council said she had been given a written warning. Ms Josephs said she had also received a Fixed Penalty Notice from the police.

A cross-party committee set up to look at Ms Josephs' actions said it had found she felt "genuine remorse" about taking part in the event.

The committee added that it had considered its decision over her return to work "very carefully".

Terry Fox, leader of Sheffield City Council, said he had been "deeply disappointed" by Ms Josephs' participation in the event.

"Over the last few months, I've repeatedly said I share the anger and upset felt by some Sheffielders about the choices Kate has made," he said.

"Those feelings don't just go away overnight."

Mr Fox added that he would work with Ms Josephs to "keep driving our amazing city forward".

'Deeply sorry'

Ms Josephs took up her £201,000-a-year job in Sheffield in January 2021.

In January this year, she apologised for attending the leaving drinks party which was held in the Cabinet Office on 17 December 2020.

After it emerged that she had taken part in the event, she was placed on paid leave while a Sheffield City Council committee investigated her actions, with an external investigator also brought in.

A later report by Sue Gray into lockdown parties at No 10 found that the party attended by Ms Josephs included more than 20 guests and that alcoholic drinks and pizzas were available.

Social distancing did not happen during the four-hour event and speeches were given by a senior official, Ms Gray's report added.

Following the announcement that she would return to work, Ms Josephs said in a statement she was "deeply sorry" for participating in the event.

She told the BBC the pre-planned party "was a mistake that we made".

"That event should not have happened," she said.

"The only way to rebuild trust is by acknowledging it and not trying to brush it under the carpet."

Ms Josephs wrote on Twitter that when she went to her former employer "for guidance", she was asked to "respect the confidentiality of the Cabinet Office's independent investigation".

"I wish I had challenged that more strongly and spoken sooner to colleagues in Sheffield," she said.

She confirmed she had received a Fixed Penalty Notice over her participation in the drinks party which she said she had immediately paid.

Lucy Ashton, BBC Radio Sheffield political reporter - Analysis

Chief executive Kate Josephs was the fresh start after the street tree saga damaged people's confidence in Sheffield Council.

Instead, she divided opinion, put Sheffield on the national news for all the wrong reasons and created an unprecedented situation for the council.

She confessed on Twitter in January that she had attended a Cabinet Office party during Covid restrictions.

Her tweet was just minutes before a national paper broke the story. There had been numerous calls from local journalists for weeks asking if she had attended a lockdown party.

Initial shock and anger turned to frustration as councillors deliberated, while she remained on paid leave from her £200,000 role.

Eventually, an independent investigator was enlisted and a decision was finally announced after almost six months.

At what cost to the city? We know there's the financial cost of her paid leave, the unexpected expense of an acting CEO and the invoice from the investigator, though we don't have the full tally.

And while the council has decided to move on, only time will tell whether the people of Sheffield will forgive and forget.