Missing Records
The BBC reports that the missing files scandal in Rotherham Council is not going away and that the Homes Affairs Committee in the House of Commons is demanding answers on what looks suspiciously like a deliberate act to cover up the truth.
Now I'm not a great fan of Keith Vaz, but he has got his teeth into this issue and certainly appears to be doing his best to hold senior councillors and council officials to account, by putting pressure on the Home Office to discover the truth of what went on.
So I hope that MSPs will show similar enthusiasm for asking North Lanarkshire Council to explain how vital data on job evaluation and equal pay went missing or managed to get destroyed in recent years.
Because it doesn't look very good and good local government demands that reasonable questions are answered and if there is any evidence of wrongdoing, that the individuals involved are held to account for their actions.
Rotherham abuse scandal: Files 'went missing'
Rotherham is trying to restore its reputation following the revelations in the Jay report
An urgent investigation into allegations files relating to the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal went missing has been called for by MPs.
A Home Affairs Select Committee report said a council researcher claimed files detailing failures in tackling abuse were stolen from her office.
The report also calls for new laws to remove failing police commissioners.
It comes after the Jay report found more than 1,400 children in Rotherham were abused from 1997 to 2013.
'Suspicions of cover-up'
Committee chairman Keith Vaz said the Home Office should do "everything in its power" to locate any missing files in its possession relating to child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and other places.
He said: "The proliferation of revelations about files which can no longer be located gives rise to public suspicion of a deliberate cover-up.
"The only way to address these concerns is with a full, transparent and urgent investigation."
The committee took evidence in private last month from a researcher employed by Rotherham Council between 2000 and 2002, who was working on a Home Office-funded pilot aimed at tackling prostitution.
An urgent investigation into allegations files relating to the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal went missing has been called for by MPs.
A Home Affairs Select Committee report said a council researcher claimed files detailing failures in tackling abuse were stolen from her office.
The report also calls for new laws to remove failing police commissioners.
It comes after the Jay report found more than 1,400 children in Rotherham were abused from 1997 to 2013.
'Suspicions of cover-up'
Committee chairman Keith Vaz said the Home Office should do "everything in its power" to locate any missing files in its possession relating to child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and other places.
He said: "The proliferation of revelations about files which can no longer be located gives rise to public suspicion of a deliberate cover-up.
"The only way to address these concerns is with a full, transparent and urgent investigation."
The committee took evidence in private last month from a researcher employed by Rotherham Council between 2000 and 2002, who was working on a Home Office-funded pilot aimed at tackling prostitution.
Keith Vaz said some victims could have been spared the ordeal had the council and police not ignored evidence
In April 2002, she submitted information to the Home Office containing severe criticisms of the agencies in Rotherham involved with child sexual exploitation, with the most serious alleging "indifference" on the part of senior managers.
She claimed someone then accessed her office and removed data relating to the Home Office work. She said there were no signs of a forced entry to the key-coded and locked security doors.
'Victims could have been spared'
In its report, the committee said it was not the first time files relating to child sexual exploitation were alleged to have disappeared.
The committee added that the council and South Yorkshire Police ignored "compelling evidence" about the scale of the abuse.
A central government investigation into whether the council covered up information about child sexual exploitation was launched in September.
And the National Crime Agency will lead an inquiry into outstanding allegations of abuse in Rotherham following a request from South Yorkshire Police last month.
In April 2002, she submitted information to the Home Office containing severe criticisms of the agencies in Rotherham involved with child sexual exploitation, with the most serious alleging "indifference" on the part of senior managers.
She claimed someone then accessed her office and removed data relating to the Home Office work. She said there were no signs of a forced entry to the key-coded and locked security doors.
'Victims could have been spared'
In its report, the committee said it was not the first time files relating to child sexual exploitation were alleged to have disappeared.
The committee added that the council and South Yorkshire Police ignored "compelling evidence" about the scale of the abuse.
A central government investigation into whether the council covered up information about child sexual exploitation was launched in September.
And the National Crime Agency will lead an inquiry into outstanding allegations of abuse in Rotherham following a request from South Yorkshire Police last month.
Shaun Wright resigned as police commissioner after weeks of pressure
Mr Vaz said: "If the council and police had taken these warnings seriously, the abusers could have been brought to justice more quickly and some of the later victims could have been spared their ordeal."
The Jay report led to a series of high-profile resignations, including including Rotherham's strategic director of children's services, Joyce Thacker, and Labour police commissioner Shaun Wright, who was the councillor responsible for children's services between 2005 and 2010.
The Home Affairs Select Committee report recommends new legislation be brought in to help remove police commissioners when a vote of no confidence is passed by the Police and Crime Panel.
Hillsborough inquests: Crucial police message 'vanished'
A note of a request from officers at Hillsborough, which would have stopped fans entering central pens, "vanished from the record", the inquests into the disaster have heard.
The radio message was from police near the Leppings Lane turnstiles calling for gates at the back of a tunnel to the pens to be shut.
But it was left out of subsequent logs.
Ninety-six fans died following the crush in the pens, when an exit gate was opened at Hillsborough in 1989.
The jury at the inquests in Warrington was shown a log typed by former PC Trevor Bichard from 16 April, the day after the disaster at the FA Cup semi-final game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
The request, logged at 14:55 GMT by the CCTV operator in the police control box, said: "From officers at rear of Leppings Lane terrace shut the gates at the back of the tunnel."
I'm told by a highly reliable source that one of the many revelations to emerge from the ongoing Employment Tribunal against North Lanarkshire Council is that senior managers ordered the destruction of important paperwork about the Council's job evaluation scheme (JES).
Now this is shocking on a whole number of counts.
First of all, the new JES was the most significant human resource issue to be dealt with in a generation and senior officials within the Council were well aware of the importance of keeping efficient and accurate records detailing how different jobs were scored and graded by the JES process.
Secondly, the outcomes of the Council's JES was already being vigorously challenged in the Employment Tribunal and so to destroy vital evidence when litigation was underway looks to be a deliberate act - an attempt to bury the evidence, if you like.
Thirdly, in this modern day and age absolutely no one, especially one of Scotland's largest councils, would be dumb enough not to 'back up' important records on a hard disk to keep them safe and secure for future reference.
So the big questions for senior officials within North Lanarkshire to answer are:
Mr Vaz said: "If the council and police had taken these warnings seriously, the abusers could have been brought to justice more quickly and some of the later victims could have been spared their ordeal."
The Jay report led to a series of high-profile resignations, including including Rotherham's strategic director of children's services, Joyce Thacker, and Labour police commissioner Shaun Wright, who was the councillor responsible for children's services between 2005 and 2010.
The Home Affairs Select Committee report recommends new legislation be brought in to help remove police commissioners when a vote of no confidence is passed by the Police and Crime Panel.
Vanishing Evidence (6 August 2014)
So it's not just North Lanarkshire Council where hugely significant information goes missing at a critical time.
Here's a report from the BBC which highlights the fact that a crucial police message at the time of the Hillsborough Disaster simply "vanished from the record" and yet no one, as yet at least, has been held accountable for its mysterious disappearance.
Hillsborough inquests: Crucial police message 'vanished'
Judith Moritz reports on former PC Trevor Bichard's account of the day
A note of a request from officers at Hillsborough, which would have stopped fans entering central pens, "vanished from the record", the inquests into the disaster have heard.
The radio message was from police near the Leppings Lane turnstiles calling for gates at the back of a tunnel to the pens to be shut.
But it was left out of subsequent logs.
Ninety-six fans died following the crush in the pens, when an exit gate was opened at Hillsborough in 1989.
The jury at the inquests in Warrington was shown a log typed by former PC Trevor Bichard from 16 April, the day after the disaster at the FA Cup semi-final game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
The request, logged at 14:55 GMT by the CCTV operator in the police control box, said: "From officers at rear of Leppings Lane terrace shut the gates at the back of the tunnel."
Mr Bichard, working in the CCTV room, said he made a note of the message
But mention of the request did not appear in Mr Bichard's second version of his log, written sometime between 16 April and his statement on 2 May.
The jury was told that the original document was available to the Taylor Inquiry into the disaster in 1989, but when Mr Bichard gave evidence at the hearing he said the tunnel was not mentioned in the police control box.
Brenda Campbell, a barrister representing a group of Hillsborough families, said when Mr Bichard was previously interviewed, he told officers the tunnel was "never mentioned, never discussed, never considered verbally".
Ms Campbell asked him: "Under whose orders did you leave it out from your other version?"
Mr Bichard replied: "Nobody's".
He told the jury a handwritten tick next to the message suggested it had been entered into the later log.
Ms Campbell then asked: "Under whose orders did you lie to Lord Justice Taylor, eight weeks later?"
Mr Bichard said: "I've never lied. I've always had honestly held beliefs.
"I'm not saying that I'm right with everything, but my beliefs have always been honestly held."
Ms Campbell said Mr Bichard told Lord Justice Taylor the tunnel "just didn't enter his mind".
She asked him how he explained the lies to Lord Justice Taylor and the original inquests.
Mr Bichard replied: "I can't explain it at all."
Retired PC Trevor Bichard, one of five officers who were in the control room, is continuing to give evidence at the inquests.
He told the jury on Monday no-one inside the box was monitoring the central pens where the crush took place.
The inquests continue.
But mention of the request did not appear in Mr Bichard's second version of his log, written sometime between 16 April and his statement on 2 May.
The jury was told that the original document was available to the Taylor Inquiry into the disaster in 1989, but when Mr Bichard gave evidence at the hearing he said the tunnel was not mentioned in the police control box.
Brenda Campbell, a barrister representing a group of Hillsborough families, said when Mr Bichard was previously interviewed, he told officers the tunnel was "never mentioned, never discussed, never considered verbally".
Ms Campbell asked him: "Under whose orders did you leave it out from your other version?"
Mr Bichard replied: "Nobody's".
He told the jury a handwritten tick next to the message suggested it had been entered into the later log.
Ms Campbell then asked: "Under whose orders did you lie to Lord Justice Taylor, eight weeks later?"
Mr Bichard said: "I've never lied. I've always had honestly held beliefs.
"I'm not saying that I'm right with everything, but my beliefs have always been honestly held."
Ms Campbell said Mr Bichard told Lord Justice Taylor the tunnel "just didn't enter his mind".
She asked him how he explained the lies to Lord Justice Taylor and the original inquests.
Mr Bichard replied: "I can't explain it at all."
Retired PC Trevor Bichard, one of five officers who were in the control room, is continuing to give evidence at the inquests.
He told the jury on Monday no-one inside the box was monitoring the central pens where the crush took place.
The inquests continue.
The request asked for gates behind the Leppings Lane terrace to be closed
Destroying the Evidence (22 June 2014)
I'm told by a highly reliable source that one of the many revelations to emerge from the ongoing Employment Tribunal against North Lanarkshire Council is that senior managers ordered the destruction of important paperwork about the Council's job evaluation scheme (JES).
Now this is shocking on a whole number of counts.
First of all, the new JES was the most significant human resource issue to be dealt with in a generation and senior officials within the Council were well aware of the importance of keeping efficient and accurate records detailing how different jobs were scored and graded by the JES process.
Secondly, the outcomes of the Council's JES was already being vigorously challenged in the Employment Tribunal and so to destroy vital evidence when litigation was underway looks to be a deliberate act - an attempt to bury the evidence, if you like.
Thirdly, in this modern day and age absolutely no one, especially one of Scotland's largest councils, would be dumb enough not to 'back up' important records on a hard disk to keep them safe and secure for future reference.
So the big questions for senior officials within North Lanarkshire to answer are:
- Exactly which records have been destroyed?
- Which jobs have been affected?
- When was this instruction issued and by whom?
- Why were the paper records not backed up?
- Who is being held accountable and in what way for this shocking mess?
And you would think that local politicians would take these points up, on a cross party and all party basis, and help get to the bottom of exactly what has been going on.
