Kate Josephs: Secrecy surrounds fines over her leaving party which breached Covid-19 rules she helped create

Ms Josephs, who at the time was leaving her role as director-general of the Covid-19 taskforce, is currently suspended as Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, which pays £190,000 a year.

It means she would have played a key role in writing the lockdown rules that were enforced across the country when her leaving party took place.

Fixed penalty notices have been issued against attendees, according to media reports.

However, it is not known if Ms Josephs herself has been fined, with the Met, which has investigated alleged breaches at Government gatherings, having not named anybody involved.

Sheffield Council has also refused to reveal any information.

Now, readers of The Star have had their say on the scandal, which has seen officials call for Ms Josephs’ resignation.

“Before people comment as to why she should still be in a job its simple,” reader Malcolm Wood said. “She was not convicted of anything. (If) she has received a Fixed Penalty Notice, many people on here have had them for driving offences. It’s not right or just but it is the law. Also the offences took place under her previous job so she cannot be dismissed for misconduct of another job.”

In response, another reader, Steve Platts, wrote: “If (for example) a police officer had broken the law, I wouldn’t expect them to get away with nothing more than a fine and some weak apology, I’d expect them to be sacked. This is the same for Kate Josephs, she’s not some ‘lackey’ with little to no responsibility, she the head of the Covid taskforce and someone who should’ve being leading by example.

“Why should anybody at all have been expected to follow the rules, when the very people issuing them, didn’t follow them?”

Both Ms Josephs and the city council have been criticised for “secrecy” over the scandal.