Parents and opposition parties have reacted angrily to the news that a long-awaited report on Aberdeen City Council’s handling of the baby ashes scandal has been delayed.
In June, Dame Elish Angiolini published a report into Aberdeen Crematorium which found that “unethical and abhorrent practices” took place over many years at the local authority-run service at Hazlehead.
The local authority was heavily criticised in the National Cremation Investigation, which investigated more than 200 infant cremation cases across the country, following the original baby ashes scandal at Mortonhall in Edinburgh.
It was found in some cases that an infant coffin was placed at the side of or on top of an unrelated adult coffin and both were cremated together with the infant’s ashes not returned to grieving parents.
In the wake of the findings, chief executive Angela Scott told councillors she would provide a tell-all report on the “failures” at the Hazlehead crematorium in August.
But although the council meets next Wednesday and the majority of the papers on the agenda were revealed yesterday, the ashes report is listed simply as “to follow”.
Aberdeen man Paul Wells never received his month-old son Scott’s ashes after he died of cot death in 2006.
He said: “This is just another delay in a long line of them.
“We have heard nothing from the council since Angela Scott said she wanted to meet with affected families. I think that sums it up really.”
Last night opposition leaders criticised the news with one claiming delayed reports seemed to be “council strategy”.
SNP group leader Stephen Flynn said: “This issue isn’t new for this administration. We are used to late reports.
“We have to be transparent here and I hope this report is made public as soon as possible.”
Liberal Democrat, Martin Greig, added: “We will doubtlessly be given some excuse for the delay, but given the council emphasised the need for transparency and openness, the release of this report should have been a very high priority.”
However, infrastructure convener Neil Cooney said “sensitive reports” were normally discussed by party group leaders on a Monday before publication.
He added: “Mr Flynn will be very well aware of the procedure, so there is no reason he should think it is being covered up or anything like that.
“The report has been commissioned by the chief executive and it will be made public.”