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Hillsborough Independent Panel

Completed

Hillsborough Panel

Chair Bishop James Jones Other
Established 01 Feb 2010
Final Report 12 Sep 2012
Commissioned by Home Office Independent panel; not a statutory public inquiry

Panel examining documents relating to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster which killed 97 Liverpool football fans.

Evidence & Impact
The Hillsborough Independent Panel was established in 2010 to oversee disclosure of all documents relating to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Chaired by Bishop James Jones, the Panel published its report on 12 September 2012, making nine recommendations focused on preserving and providing public access to the disclosed materials.

The government formally accepted five of the nine recommendations, with no published response to the remaining four. Evidence indicates progress on several fronts. The Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 introduced formal requirements for coroners' record retention, addressing the Panel's first recommendation. A Distributed Permanent Archive was established as recommended, with original materials held across Sheffield Archives, Liverpool Record Office, and The National Archives. The Digital Archive containing 450,000 pages from 85 organisations was made publicly accessible through a dedicated website, which has been permanently preserved by The National Archives.

However, no published evidence has been identified for several key recommendations. The Panel's recommendation for a review of police records under the Public Records Act 1958 received no formal government response, and while Hillsborough documents were transferred to The National Archives, no broader review has been announced. Similarly, no Editor-in-Chief position was established for ongoing management of the Digital Archive, which instead exists as a static snapshot. Without this editorial oversight, no formal protocol for adding or removing archive material was developed.

The evidence suggests a pattern where recommendations relating to preserving existing disclosed materials were acted upon, while those requiring ongoing institutional arrangements or broader policy reviews received no formal response. No progress updates or implementation reviews have been published since the initial government response in December 2012, leaving the status of several recommendations unclear in the public record.
Reforms Attributed to This Inquiry
- The Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 established formal requirements for coroners' record retention, including a mandate under regulation 27(1) that all inquest recordings must be kept for at least 15 years
- A Distributed Permanent Archive was established holding Hillsborough-related materials across Sheffield Archives, Liverpool Record Office, and The National Archives at Kew
- The Digital Archive containing 450,000 pages of material from 85 organisations was made publicly accessible via the hillsborough.independent.gov.uk website and permanently preserved by The National Archives
- Central government documents relating to Hillsborough disclosed to the Panel were transferred to The National Archives at Kew
Unfinished Business
- No formal government response was published regarding a review of police records under the Public Records Act 1958
- No Editor-in-Chief position was established for ongoing management of the Digital Archive as recommended
- No formal protocol for adding or removing archive material was developed
- No formal mechanism was established to encourage private organisations to deposit further records into the Distributed Permanent Archive
Generated 18 Mar 2026 using claude-opus-4. Assessment is indicative, not authoritative.
2 years, 7 months Duration
£5m Total Cost
450,000 Documents
395 Report Pages
Government Response
Accepted 5
Awaiting Response 4
Total Recommendations 9
Data last updated: 1 Dec 2012
Data verified: 23 Mar 2026 (import)
How to read this

Government Response tracks what the government said it would do (accepted, rejected, etc.).

Full methodology

since Apr 2016
Early Day Motion Independent Office for Police Conduct findings on Norman Bettison
Ian Byrne (Labour)
01 Dec 2025
Early Day Motion Introduction of the Hillsborough Law and the 36th anniversary
Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat)
22 Apr 2025
Early Day Motion Hillsborough disaster and the National Curriculum
Ian Byrne (Labour)
15 Nov 2021
Early Day Motion 50th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster
Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party)
30 Dec 2020
Early Day Motion Provision of The Sun newspaper on the Parliamentary Estate
Paula Barker (Labour)
09 Jan 2020
View all 10 mentions →
All Activity (10)
Title Volume Publication Date Recs Links
Hillsborough: The Report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel - 12 Sep 2012 9
The Report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel Final Report 12 Sep 2012 0
15 Dec 2009
Inquiry Announced
01 Feb 2010
Inquiry Established
12 Sep 2012
Final Report Published

Recommendations (9)

1
Accepted
Chief Coroner guidance on coroners' records
Recommendation
We recommend that the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice invite the Chief Coroner to prepare guidance for all coroners on the appropriate retention and archiving of documents in coroners' records. Particular care should be taken to safeguard … Read more
Published evidence summary
According to the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 introduced formal requirements for coroners' record retention, mandating that all inquest recordings be kept for at least 15 years under regulation 27(1). According to the Chief Coroner, appointed under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, the Chief Coroner has issued guidance on coroners' records; additionally, The National Archives has published appraisal and selection criteria for coroners' inquest files, offering a good practice model for permanent preservation of significant cases.
Ministry of Justice (Primary)
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2
No Response
Police records under Public Records Act 1958
Recommendation
We recommend that the preservation of police records be reviewed to ensure that all such documents are treated as public records, held on behalf of the public, subject to the Public Records Act 1958 and to transfer to the National … Read more
Published evidence summary
According to the available evidence, no formal government response was published regarding a review of police records under the Public Records Act 1958. While Hillsborough documents were transferred to The National Archives, a broader review of how police records are treated under the 1958 Act has not been formally announced; no further published evidence has been identified since the government's statement in 2012.
Home Office (Primary)
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3
Accepted
Central government documents to National Archives
Recommendation

We recommend that relevant central government documents - particularly those of the Cabinet Office and No 10 - be transferred to the National Archives, thus enabling full public access to this material in the future.

Published evidence summary
According to the available evidence, central government documents relating to Hillsborough, which were disclosed to the Panel, have been transferred to The National Archives at Kew. These records are now held at TNA, enabling public access to this material.
Cabinet Office (Primary)
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4
Accepted
Distributed Permanent Archive at Sheffield/Liverpool/Kew
Recommendation
We recommend that a Distributed Permanent Archive be established across the Central Library in Sheffield, the Liverpool Record Office and the National Archives, Kew, so that all original materials are preserved. Record office staff should liaise to rationalise the archiving … Read more
Published evidence summary
According to the available evidence, a Distributed Permanent Archive has been established, with original materials relating to Hillsborough now held across the Central Library in Sheffield, the Liverpool Record Office, and The National Archives at Kew. This arrangement aligns with the Panel's proposal for preserving the original material across these three sites.
The National Archives (Primary)
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5
No Response
Private owners encouraged to deposit records
Recommendation
We recommend that, once a copy of all material has been placed on a Digital Archive, private owners - including the FA and SWFC - be encouraged to deposit original materials to an appropriate archive in the Distributed Permanent Archive. … Read more
Published evidence summary
According to the available evidence, no formal government response was published regarding the encouragement of private owners, such as the FA and Sheffield Wednesday FC, to deposit original materials into the Distributed Permanent Archive. While private organisations contributed documents to the Panel's initial disclosure, no formal mechanism has been established to encourage further deposits of private records, though such encouragement is stated as ongoing; no further specific published evidence of a formal mechanism has been identified since the government's statement in 2012.
The National Archives (Primary)
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6
No Response
Editor-in-Chief for digital archive
Recommendation
We recommend the appointment of an Editor-in-Chief to oversee the presentation on the Digital Archive of documents relating to the disaster, and to the role of each of the organisations involved. The organisations concerned should fund this post and work … Read more
Published evidence summary
According to the available evidence, no formal government response was published, and there is no evidence that an Editor-in-Chief position was established to oversee the presentation and ongoing management of the Digital Archive. The original Panel website (hillsborough.independent.gov.uk), which served as the Digital Archive, was archived by The National Archives as a static snapshot rather than being actively managed with new editorial oversight; no further published evidence has been identified since the government's statement in 2012.
Cabinet Office (Primary)
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7
No Response
Protocol for adding/removing archive material
Recommendation
We recommend the development of a protocol which identifies the criteria according to which material not disclosed by the Panel may be added in the future, and material currently disclosed may be removed. Such decisions should be made by the … Read more
Published evidence summary
According to the available information, no formal government response was published, and no formal protocol for adding or removing archive material was developed. According to the same information, this is attributed to the absence of an Editor-in-Chief, as recommended in Recommendation 6, and the digital archive remains a static snapshot at The National Archives. No further published evidence has been identified since the government's statement in 2012.
Cabinet Office (Primary)
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8
Accepted
Digital archive accessible with professional support
Recommendation
We recommend that the Digital Archive be permanently accessible at the Liverpool Record Office, the Central Library, Sheffield and other appropriate local venues, so that members of the public have access to the full archive at these sites, with professional … Read more
Published evidence summary
According to reports, the Digital Archive was made publicly accessible through a website (hillsborough.independent.gov.uk) launched on 12 September 2012, containing 450,000 pages of material. According to reports, this website has since been preserved by The National Archives. While public access is provided, specific details regarding dedicated funding for adequate facilities, staffing, and professional support at local venues like the Liverpool Record Office and Central Library, Sheffield, beyond the general existence of the archive, are not explicitly detailed in the available evidence.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Primary)
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9
Accepted
Digital archive permanently archived at National Archives
Recommendation
We recommend that the Digital Archive be permanently archived at the National Archives at Kew (or its successor). Regardless of any developments in relation to the Digital Archive, this permanent copy should be held alongside the other archival materials. Read more
Published evidence summary
According to available information, the Digital Archive has been permanently archived at The National Archives at Kew. According to The National Archives catalogue under reference C14176659, The National Archives holds dated gathered versions, or 'snapshots', of the Hillsborough Independent Panel website, with this series confirmed. This digital archive is preserved alongside other Hillsborough-related archival materials.
The National Archives (Primary)
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