Current and former Council employees and members of the public are being encouraged to come forward as an independent inquiry into the Council's whistleblowing and organisational culture starts.
The inquiry, being led by respected Queen’s Counsel Susanne Tanner QC, is looking into the circumstances concerning the death of a City of Edinburgh Council employee and wider Council culture.
The terms of reference - setting out the inquiry’s objectives, scope and key activities - have been finalised by the chair, in consultation with the political group leaders and have now been published.
Susanne Tanner is being assisted by a UK investigation team from independent law firm, Pinsent Masons, who have considerable experience in this area.
They are currently gathering evidence and are keen to hear from anyone who may have information which will help the inquiry.
Council Leader Adam McVey said:
"These terms of reference are very clear and thorough, setting out exactly what we want to achieve through this inquiry. This will give elected members the assurances we are looking for and will identify recommendations for positive changes that need to be made so the culture of the Council can be an open and transparent as possible. Our collective aim is to ensure our outstanding staff have the confidence they need to raise issues in the knowledge they’ll be properly considered and acted upon."
Depute Leader Cammy Day said:
"The cross-party support for the inquiry’s objectives means the investigation team can start to gather the evidence they require and now’s the time to let the team get on with the job in hand. Hearing from both current and former employees on any concerns they may have is vital so I would urge anyone who wants to share information to come forward – everyone’s voices will be heard."
To contact the Inquiry team please email CECReview@pinsentmasons.com by 20 December 2020 or if anyone would like to speak to someone rather than email, please call Tom Stocker from the Pinsent Masons team (during office hours) on 07912 396 242. Please leave a message and contact telephone number if he is not available.
On making contact, the team at Pinsents will clearly outline arrangements regarding confidentiality.
Additional information:
All the governance arrangements are now in place to allow the inquiry to proceed on an independent basis, in accordance with the decision of Council on 15 October 2020.
Susanne Tanner has a 23-year career in the legal profession in Scotland, including an appointment as an Advocate Depute with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and has been a QC since 2016. Her areas of practice include public inquiries and fatal accident inquiries, reparation, criminal and regulatory matters. She is a certified arbitrator, mediator and a tribunal chair. She is dual qualified as a barrister in England and Wales.