Liverpool council approves Ian Byrne MP’s plans for annual Hillsborough Day in schools

Liverpool city councillors have tonight passed a motion to commemorate the Hillsborough Disaster with a dedicated education programme and annual 'Hillsborough Day' in all schools governed by the local education authority.

The motion, proposed by outgoing Everton ward councillor and Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne, was passed unopposed this evening by the council with cross-party support.

Mr Byrne is leading on a campaign called The Real Truth Legacy Project which includes an annual ‘Hillsborough Day' in schools. The campaign seeks to educate future generations about the injustice and comprehensive establishment cover-up of Hillsborough.

Himself a survivor of the disaster on the Leppings Lane in April 1989, when he was 16, Mr Byrne said: "The support of Liverpool City Council on this crucial motion has hopefully set the ball rolling. We now hope to roll this out across the full Liverpool City Region and are optimistic of succeeding, given the positive response of the remaining five councils in the combined authority so far.”

He added: "I am hopeful we will soon have every local authority in the Liverpool City Region on board as part of The Real Truth Legacy Project.”

Survivors and the families of the 97 fans who lost their lives as a result of the Hillsborough disaster have been involved in a three-decade campaign in pursuit of justice. Mr Byrne is working with some of them on ‘The Real Truth’ Legacy Project, which contains two key elements:

The first is a political education toolkit for use by trade unions, Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) and like-minded organisations who wish to learn more about Hillsborough. Political education on 'The Real Truth' at Hillsborough will be made available, with significant input from families, survivors and leading Hillsborough campaigners.

The second element of the project is the campaign to get education about Hillsborough added to the National Curriculum, including a dedicated ‘Hillsborough Day’ in the Liverpool City Region, to take place on a Friday near to the anniversary of the tragedy on 15th April each year. 

The ‘Hillsborough Day’ will see every Liverpool City Region school under local authority governance taking part in a special assembly to mark the anniversary and to learn more about the disaster, the cover-up and the fight for justice.

The idea is this forms part of a lasting legacy, along with the Hillsborough Law, with education about the disaster being of central importance.

Mr Byrne said: "For many of the families and survivors, the education element is really important - so that makes it key for me. What we are doing on the ground in the Liverpool City Region will hopefully show other authorities across the country how to commemorate 'Hillsborough Day' and how to approach teaching school children about the disaster and the subsequent cover-up and campaign for justice.”

Once it is up and running in the city region, the campaign hopes to see Hillsborough Day rolled out on a national level and its ultimate aim is to have education about Hillsborough embedded in the National Curriculum. Mr Byrne earlier this week met with the Education Minister in Parliament about this and is cautiously optimistic about a successful outcome.

Ian Byrne motion to Liverpool City Council reads:

Liverpool City Council commends survivors and the families of the ninety-seven fans who lost their lives as a result of the Hillsborough disaster for their three-decade campaign for justice.

Council also notes that Kevin Sampson’s recent drama for ITV, Anne - considered a masterpiece by many - has highlighted once again the fact that, despite the ninety- seven having been unlawfully killed, to date no individuals or organisations have been held accountable for their deaths.

Council further notes that the impact of the campaign of lies, smears and propaganda orchestrated by South Yorkshire Police in 1989 and promoted by willing politicians and media continues to this day, with far too many members of the public even now parroting discredited lies about the behaviour of Liverpool fans in attendance at Hillsborough on 15 April 1989.

It is not surprising to council that many families of the ninety-seven and Hillsborough survivors have expressed despair at this continuation of lies about Hillsborough.

Liverpool City Council therefore undertakes to support the ‘Real Truth Legacy Project’ led by Ian Byrne in conjunction with many Hillsborough families and survivors. This is a campaign which seeks to ensure that current and future generations learn the truth about Hillsborough, and to ensure that schoolchildren in Liverpool City Region initially have access to a definitive account of the disaster and the subsequent cover-up.

Council hereby notes its support for a key element of The Real Truth Legacy Project which is to have education about Hillsborough added to the National Curriculum, including a dedicated “Hillsborough Day” in the Liverpool City Region, to take place on the nearest Friday to the anniversary of the tragedy on 15th April each year.

The Hillsborough Day would see every Liverpool City Region primary and secondary school taking part in a special assembly to mark the anniversary and to learn more about the disaster, the cover-up and the fight for justice through dedicated teaching resource packs made available to every school in the city region by local education leads.

For the sake of past and future generations, this is something Liverpool City Council feels it must get behind and calls on all councils in the Liverpool City Region and beyond to add their support to the Real Truth Legacy Project.