Recommendation 4: Distributed Permanent Archive at Sheffield/Liverpool/Kew
From Hillsborough: The Report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel, published 12 September 2012.
Recommendation
The Panel proposes a Distributed Permanent Archive of the original material at Sheffield Archives and Liverpool Record Office and for central government records at The National Archives at Kew. Such a Distributed Archive is in keeping with the nature of the records and the services which the three archives can best provide and which they are willing to do.
In brief (written by this site)
The National Archives has provided no response on the record, while the Independent Office for Police Conduct stated in September 2026 that its legacy team is working on the return of historical material alongside a complete audit trail (Independent Office for Police Conduct, Sep 2026). It had previously reported in July 2025 that an initial return of records to the Liverpool Record Office was planned for August 2025, with remaining materials to follow to their respective destinations (Independent Office for Police Conduct, Jul 2025).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
About this summary
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The record reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from The National Archives has been found in the sources searched (last checked 6 February 2026). This is separate from the response above.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Independent Office for Police Conduct (19 September 2026)
We have been the custodians of the historical Hillsborough Archive for more than a decade, the majority of which came from Sheffield and Liverpool Archives, The National Archives and the Home Office. It has been professionally maintained by archive specialists and kept in a secure, controlled environment in our Warrington office. Our dedicated Legacy team is working on the return of this material together with a complete audit trail for its use while in our custody.
From: About the Hillsborough investigations
Site note: This is the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s own account of its work, not a government response. The page carries no publication date; it was read on 19 September 2026 and the row is dated to that reading.
Earlier findings (1)
Independent Office for Police Conduct (1 July 2025)
As our investigations are now coming to an end, our dedicated Legacy team has been preparing for the return of this material. This is in line with one of the recommendations of the HIP, for the materials to be permanently returned to Sheffield Archives, LRO, and to the TNA at Kew.
The first return of material is planned to take place at the end of August to the LRO and the rest will follow to their respective homes.
From: Stakeholder Update July 2025
Site note: This is the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s own account of its work, not a government response. The IOPC describes the first return of material as planned for the end of August 2025. Its stakeholder updates of October and November 2025 do not mention the archive, and no archive has confirmed receipt. The update is dated only “July 2025”, so the row carries that month and shows it as 1 July 2025; the IOPC’s publications library gives its publication date as 31 July 2025.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Independent Office for Police Conduct
Finding