8 Response Accepted Self-assessed

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 support. Funding should be made available to ensure that adequate facilities and staffing are in place.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
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.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Response
Accepted
Accepted Department for Culture, Media and Sport
01 Dec 2012

Implemented. The Digital Archive was made publicly accessible. On Disclosure Day (12 September 2012), the Panel launched a website containing 450,000 pages of material collated from 85 organisations. The archive website (hillsborough.independent.gov.uk) provided public access to all disclosed documents. This has been preserved by The National Archives. (Source: Hillsborough Independent Panel Report 2012)

Source
Inquiry Hillsborough Panel
Report Hillsborough: The Report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel 12 Sep 2012
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Department for Culture, Media and Sport Primary
Themes & Tags
Weak Government Accountability & Scrutiny Records Archiving Public Access
Recommendation age 13.5 yrs
Last formal update 4861 days ago