England and Wales's first-ever Independent Public Advocate has launched a scathing attack on the "shameful" delays to justice for victims of major disasters, pledging to stop bereaved families from being forced to "become investigators" in their grief.
A 'Stain on Society' and a New Mandate
In her first interview since taking up the groundbreaking role, Cindy Butts stated that the years-long waits for truth and accountability following tragedies like the Hillsborough disaster and the Grenfell Tower fire represent a profound failure. "It's shameful and it's a stain on our society," she declared, highlighting recurrent patterns where people are "denied the truth, documents go missing or are altered, and families are blamed."
The Independent Public Advocate (IPA) position, first announced in 2023, was created directly in response to a report criticising the treatment of Hillsborough bereaved families. Butts, who began a five-year term in September 2024, holds a unique, operational mandate to ensure victims of large-scale incidents know their rights, access support, and are properly represented during inquiries and inquests.
Operational from Day One: Building Trust and Seeking Truth
Butts emphasised that her office is not merely symbolic. Within 24 hours of the Manchester synagogue terror attack in September, her team established a direct support line for victims and the community. "It's a stark reminder that this office is... active in real time," she said.
A core part of her mission is to uncover the truth immediately after a disaster to prevent the need for protracted, decades-long public inquiries. "We are there in the early hours, weeks, months and years so that we don't have to get to the stage... where the truth has to be prized from institutions," Butts explained. Her goal is to build a system where the extensive panels seen after Hillsborough are never needed again.
Drawing on her background as a former Metropolitan police officer and a commissioner at the police complaints body during the Hillsborough investigation, Butts acknowledged her biggest challenge: building trust with people justifiably mistrustful of the state. "My loyalty is with victims, not to institutions," she affirmed.
Pushing for Reform and Filling the Gaps
Butts has already identified key areas for action. She will push for the full implementation of the Hillsborough law currently moving through Parliament, which would see public servants who cover up state-related disasters face prison. While welcoming its aims, she criticised the bill for a "massive legitimacy gap" because it omits direct recognition of families' roles.
She also revealed that her office, primarily funded by the Ministry of Justice, currently lacks sufficient resources to handle a large-scale incident effectively, though emergency funds can be drawn down. Furthermore, she aims to expand her remit to include individual deaths in "exceptional circumstances" of significant public interest, citing cases like those of Stephen Lawrence and Harry Dunn.
To shape her approach, Butts has consulted families from historical disasters still seeking justice, such as those affected by the 1973 Summerland fire on the Isle of Man. Their enduring fight, she said, highlights a system that is "profoundly wrong and inhumane." Her mission is to ensure that no family in the future endures the same painful, protracted battle for truth.
