Martin Hibbert: ‘We need public servants to sit in the stands and tell the truth’

A Manchester Arena survivor says that the government’s promise for a public advocate body is not enough.

Martin Hibbert was paralysed in the bombing at Manchester Arena in May 2017 while his daughter survived a serious brain injury.

Survivors and families have been calling for a Hillsborough Law to make sure there is support following major disasters.

The law intends to create a legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively cooperate with investigations and inquiries. As well as ensuring victims of disasters or state-related deaths are entitled to parity or legal representation.

But the Justice Secretary, Dominic Raab, made a statement in the commons on Wednesday 1 March for the creation of an Independent Public Advocate (IPA).

The IPA will exist to represent families in making sure their voices are better heard and through a specialist panel of people appointed on their relevant expertise and on their experience working with public authorities.

Mr Raab said the body would exist for several reasons:

“To put victims and the bereaved at the heart of our response to public disasters. To make sure they get the support they deserve through public inquests and inquiries, and to make sure they get the answers they need to move forwards with their lives," he said.

But Mr Hibbert believes it isn't enough.

“It’s just ridiculous, it’s a big slap in the face. I’m kind of fed up of this government doing that," he said.

Mr Raab also wrote a letter to the families of the 97 victims of the Hillsborough disaster to give them the news.

“All it is is words and letters on a piece of paper, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out why that was sent the day before the report given what we know now,” said Mr Hibbert.

Mr Hibbert said he and other victims feel as though they’ve had little support from those in government. 

“For this government to talk about how they know about the anguish and frustration that we’ve been through, they know nothing because nobody from the government has been talking to me in six years. 

“We have had to fight every single way even through the inquiry we weren't able to get legal aid and you find out the terrorists can get legal aid, it’s just sometimes, I wonder what country I'm in,” he said.

However, for many the problem is in the lack of power the IPA will have because it won’t be able to make public authorities tell the truth.

Terry Wilcox represented the Hillsborough families at the second inquest was named on the Attorney General’s application to quash the original verdict.

Mr Wilcox said: “We found with Hillsborough, where the duty of candour comes from that things don't seem to change at public inquiries. 

“Organisations are defensive in their organisation and don't necessarily bring forward the truth. 

“So that’s what we want , we want the truth.”

Ultimately, many survivors feel nothing has changed and the IPA won’t bring them the justice they want.

“If you speak to the Hillsborough survivors, they’ve had to do this for over 30 years,” said Mr Hibbert.

“They’re not gonna have any powers, it’s just at best it’s probably a signposting service, you know which is not what we need, google did that for me.

“We don’t need that, we need public servants to sit in the stands and tell the truth, not cover things up.”

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