Bishop to head Hillsborough panel

People being lifted over the stands at Hillsborough

The families hope the papers will reveal the full truth of what happened

The Bishop of Liverpool is to chair the panel overseeing the release of files on the Hillsborough disaster, it has been announced.

The Right Reverend James Jones will head the five-strong committee which will make public hundreds of thousands of documents about the 1989 tragedy.

The papers held by police and other agencies have to be sorted before they are made public.

The Hillsborough Family Support Group welcomed the bishop's appointment.

Its calls for the release of the files gained strong support after events to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool supporters.

I want to assure especially the Hillsborough families I will give myself wholeheartedly to the work of the independent panel

The Right Reverend James Jones
Bishop of Liverpool

The bishop's appointment was announced by the Home Secretary Alan Johnson, who hailed the move as a "big step forward".

He said: "I am delighted Bishop James has accepted the responsibility of chairing the panel. He is respected across Liverpool and beyond for his work for the city and its people."

Work is continuing to appoint the other members of the panel, which will meet for the first time in Liverpool in the New Year.

Bishop James said it was a "humbling responsibility" to take on the task.

'Step forward'

"I want to assure especially the Hillsborough families I will give myself wholeheartedly to the work of the independent panel," he said.

"The fact that 30,000 people came to Anfield for the Hillsborough 20th anniversary service shows how deep the wound is still, and how great the longing is for healing.

"I am very aware that although many have waited years for this independent panel, the recalling of 15th April 1989 will nevertheless be a very painful and difficult time for all who were affected and for the cities of Liverpool, Sheffield and Nottingham."

How the disaster happened

Supporters were crushed to death at the stadium in Sheffield on 15 April 1989 during Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final tie with Nottingham Forest.

The government promised in July to release documents relating to the events of the day.

Margaret Aspinall, of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, said the bishop's appointment and establishment of the panel was "a definite step forward" in their battle to view the files.

"The Right Reverend James Jones is a respected man of the cloth and we look forward to his impartial leadership of the panel in their difficult task," she said.

"The remaining members of the panel are still a work in progress and we will continue to work with government to ensure the panel is suitably balanced and experienced to ensure a fair and proper process."

The families of the victims have kept up a campaign to have the events which led to the deaths fully investigated, despite there being previous inquiries.

As well as overseeing the public disclosure of information, the panel will work on establishing an archive of the files.

It has also been asked to produce a report explaining its work and how the information adds to public understanding of the tragedy and its aftermath.