Council forced to release baby ashes scandal report
Young children were cremated alongside unrelated adults at Hazlehead over a five-year period
Aberdeen City Council has been forced a previously unseen report into the city's baby ashes scandal after pressure from Scotland's information commissioner.
It was revealed in 2013 that infants were cremated alongside the bodies of unrelated adults over a five-year period - with no ashes offered to their families.
The scandal led to the resignation of the Hazlehead facility's director - as well as more than 200 claims for compensation from the local authority.
Investigation papers revealed late last night concluded that: "There was little knowledge by senior management of the service provided to the families of these babies.”
Richard Penn - the author of the report also found "there was insufficient interest taken or leadership shown by management."
The local authority was put under pressure last month after refusing to release the information through Freedom of Information legislation.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: “Over the past few years operations at the crematorium have been transformed and there is now an open and inclusive ethos where staff are encouraged to contribute and challenge.
“Every crematorium staff member is a qualified cremator technician certified to carry out infant and baby cremations. At the inspection of Hazlehead Crematorium in 2016, the Inspector of Crematoria Scotland noted the Crematorium Operational Procedure document as a credit to the authors and one of the most comprehensive and useful guidance and training aids seen by the Inspector at any of the other 28 crematoria in Scotland.
“Those improvements do not in any way compensate for the pain suffered by those affected by past practices but are an indication of the comprehensive measures taken to address the issues identified."