Public Inquiry

Taylor Inquiry

Status: Completed Chair: Lord Justice Taylor Established: May 1989 Report: Jan 1990 Commissioned by: Home Office

Inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster of 15 April 1989 when 97 Liverpool FC supporters were fatally crushed at Sheffield Wednesday's ground during an FA Cup semi-final.

Historical inquiry (pre-Inquiries Act 2005). Listed for reference — recommendation progress is not actively tracked.

Response status

This is a historical inquiry. Per-recommendation tracking is not available. See the Legacy & Impact section below.

Legacy & impact

AI-generated · 26 Mar 2026

The Taylor Inquiry was established on 1 May 1989 following the Hillsborough disaster of 15 April 1989, in which 97 people died in a crush at the FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday's ground. Lord Justice Taylor published an interim report in August 1989 and a final report on 29 January 1990 containing 119 recommendations.

The inquiry's central recommendation requiring all-seater stadiums for top-division football was enacted through amendments to the Football Spectators Act 1989. The Football Licensing Authority reported that by the August 1994 deadline, all Premier League and First Division grounds had converted to all-seater configuration. The inquiry also recommended the removal of perimeter fencing, introduction of CCTV systems, and new safety certification procedures based on detailed assessments.

The Football Licensing Authority (now the Sports Grounds Safety Authority) was established in 1990 to oversee ground safety. Its August 1994 review confirmed conversion to all-seater stadiums and noted ongoing compliance monitoring through annual inspection programmes.

While the inquiry's safety recommendations transformed football ground infrastructure, its findings on police failures did not result in accountability at the time. The Hillsborough Independent Panel (2012) found that the full extent of the cover-up was not established until decades after the disaster. The 2016 inquests concluded that the 96 victims (later 97) were unlawfully killed, formally overturning earlier verdicts. The transformation of English football grounds following Taylor is frequently cited as one of the most visible outcomes of any UK public inquiry.

Reports & milestones

Reports

29 Jan 1990 43 tracked recs Taylor Inquiry — Interim Report · Tracked recommendations · PDF

29 Jan 1990 76 tracked recs Taylor Inquiry — Final Report · Tracked recommendations · PDF

Timeline

No milestones recorded.

Recommendations

76 shown (filtered)

Code	Recommendation
TAYL-F1	Ensure spectators are admitted only to seated accommodation at designated sport… The Secretary of State should ensure that spectators are admitted only to seated accommodation at matches played at sports grounds designated under …	View →
TAYL-F2	Implement Recommendation 1 for high-risk matches from the 1993/94 season Recommendation 1 should apply with effect from the start of the 1993/4 season at high-risk matches as defined under the UEFA Regulations …	View →
TAYL-F3	Apply Recommendation 1 and reduce standing capacity by 20% annually Subject to Recommendation 2 above, Recommendation 1 above should apply with effect from the start of the 1994/5 season to all matches …	View →
TAYL-F4	Eliminate standing accommodation at designated grounds by August 1999 through a… Subject to Recommendation 2 above, Recommendation 1 should apply with effect from the start of the 1999/2000 season to all matches at …	View →
TAYL-F5	Establish Advisory Design Council to research and disseminate improved stadium … The Football Association and the Football League should establish an Advisory Design Council whose functions should be: (a) to conduct and marshal …	View →
TAYL-F6	Implement Section 13 or establish body to review local authority functions (a) If Part I of the Football Spectators Act 1989 is implemented, section 13 should be brought into force giving the Football …	View →
TAYL-F7	Specify maximum spectator numbers for self-contained viewing terrace pens Where a viewing terrace is divided into pens or areas which are self-contained, the Safety Certificate should specify the maximum number of …	View →
TAYL-F8	Revise Green Guide maximum capacity figures to reflect new density limits Each figure for maximum capacity should be assessed in accordance with Chapter 16 of the Green Guide ("the Green Guide figure") subject …	View →
TAYL-F9	Limit spectators entering pens to maximum capacity and close access Arrangements should be made:- (a) to limit the number of spectators entering each self-contained pen or area to the maximum capacity figure …	View →
TAYL-F10	Reduce maximum turnstile entry rate to 660 persons per hour The maximum notional rate at which spectators can pass through a turnstile should be 660 persons per hour, not 750 per hour …	View →
TAYL-F11	Require written agreement between clubs and police on crowd safety functions There should be a written statement of intent, agreed between the club and the police, setting out their respective functions as to …	View →
TAYL-F12	Assign dedicated steward or officer to monitor each standing area for overcrowd… (a) At each match, there should be on the perimeter track, for each self-contained pen or other standing area (subject to (b) …	View →
TAYL-F13	Require clear, conspicuously painted gangways with no standing permitted Gangways should be kept clear, in accordance with paragraphs 97 to 99 of the Green Guide. Gangways should be painted in a …	View →
TAYL-F14	Remove all spikes and inward-facing constructions from perimeter and radial fen… All spikes or similar constructions on perimeter or radial fences, and any sections overhanging or returning inwards towards spectators, should be removed.	View →
TAYL-F15	Limit perimeter fencing height to a maximum of 2.2 metres Perimeter fencing should be no higher than 2.2 metres, measured from the top of the fence to the lowest point at which …	View →
TAYL-F16	Provide comprehensive training for police and stewards on crowd density and dis… All police officers and stewards with duties in relation to the standing areas and especially those with duties under Recommendation 12 above, …	View →
TAYL-F17	Provide sufficient 1.1-metre wide gates in perimeter fences for emergency evacu… There must be provided in any perimeter fence of a pen or other self-contained area sufficient gates of a minimum width of …	View →
TAYL-F18	Paint and mark all emergency gates in fences with "Emergency Exit All gates in radial or perimeter fences of pens or other self-contained areas should be painted in a different colour from the …	View →
TAYL-F19	Keep all perimeter fence gates to pitch unlocked and open during matches Where there is a perimeter fence in front of a pen or enclosure, all gates to the pitch should be kept fully …	View →
TAYL-F20	Man all perimeter fence gates with stewards or police during occupation Each gate in a perimeter fence affording access to the pitch from a pen or enclosure should be manned by a steward …	View →
TAYL-F21	Provide trained personnel and cutting equipment for immediate perimeter fence r… Suitable and sufficient cutting equipment should be provided by the club at each ground where there are perimeter fences to permit the …	View →
TAYL-F22	Annually inspect all crush barriers for corrosion; repair or replace as needed AH crush barriers should be visually inspected each year for signs of corrosion. Any barrier found to be affected by a significant …	View →
TAYL-F23	Review barrier layout immediately to comply with Green Guide criteria The layout of barriers in each pen or terraced area should be reviewed immediately (if this has not already been done following …	View →
TAYL-F24	Secretary of State to mandate specific safety conditions in Safety Certificates The Secretary of State should exercise his powers under either section 6(2) or section 15(A) of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act …	View →
TAYL-F25	Local authorities must follow Green Guide criteria for Safety Certificate asses… In assessing these mandatory requirements in the Certificate for a particular ground, the local authority should follow the Green Guide criteria. Once …	View →
TAYL-F26	Clarify absolute or flexible compliance for Green Guide provisions in Safety Ce… Where a local authority incorporates any provision of the Green Guide into the Safety Certificate, othei than one within the scope of …	View →
TAYL-F27	Immediately review all Safety Certificates with stakeholders and stadium inspec… There should be an immediate review of each Safety Certificate (if this has not already been don< following the Interim Report) by …	View →
TAYL-F28	Local authorities must immediately issue Safety Certificates for designated spo… Any local authority within whose area there exists a sports ground designated under the 1975 Act foi which no Safety Certificate has …	View →
TAYL-F29	Local authorities must annually review and renew all Safety Certificates Every Safety Certificate should be reviewed by the local authority at least once annually and eacl Certificate should require to be renewed …	View →
TAYL-F30	Local authorities must review Safety Certificate arrangements and administrativ… Each local authority should review its arrangements for issuing, monitoring, enforcing, reviewing, amending and renewing Safety Certificates (if this has not already …	View →
TAYL-F31	Local authorities should establish an Advisory Group for crowd safety oversight To assist the local authority in exercising its functions, it should set up an Advisory Group (if this has not already been …	View →
TAYL-F32	Inspect and measure turnstile flow rates; ensure regular maintenance Each turnstile should be inspected and its potential rate of flow measured (if this has not already been done following the Interim …	View →
TAYL-F33	Ensure turnstiles admit spectators to viewing areas within one hour The correlation between each viewing area in the stadium and the turnstiles serving it should be such as to ensure that all …	View →
TAYL-F34	Close turnstiles when capacity is reached; ensure quick operator communication Turnstiles should be closed when the permitted capacity of the area served by them is about to be reached and arrangements should …	View →
TAYL-F35	Install CCTV to monitor crowd densities in all stadium areas Closed circuit television should be so installed as to enable crowd densities outside the ground, within concourse areas and in pens and …	View →
TAYL-F36	Comprehensively review and improve spectator signposting for clear, rapid movem… All signposting for spectators both outside and inside the ground should be comprehensively reviewed (if this has not already been done following …	View →
TAYL-F37	Ensure ticket information is clear, unambiguous, and guides spectators inside g… Information on tickets should be unambiguous, simple and clear and should correlate absolutely with the information provided in respect of each match …	View →
TAYL-F38	Clubs and police review ticket timing to align with spectator admission plans Information on tickets requesting spectators to be in position by a particular time should be reviewed (if this has not already been …	View →
TAYL-F39	Clubs maintain computer records of ticket purchasers' names and addresses Clubs should consider maintaining a record on computer of ticket sales before the day of the match, for season tickets and tickets …	View →
TAYL-F40	Confine all-ticket matches to capacity crowds; prohibit match-day ticket sales All-ticket matches should be confined to those at which a capacity or near capacity crowd is expected. When a match has been …	View →
TAYL-F41	Clubs consult supporters on pre-match entertainment to attract early spectators Each club should consult with a recognised supporters' club as to the provision of pre-match entertainment aimed at attracting spectators to the …	View →
TAYL-F42	Recruit, retain, and fully train competent, fit, and active stewards Clubs should recruit and retain sufficient competent stewards. They should be fit, active and robust, and preferably between the ages of 18 …	View →
TAYL-F43	Provide well-placed, spacious, and equipped police control room with CCTV The club s,hould provide a police control room which is:- (a) well placed, so as to command a good view of the …	View →
TAYL-F44	Chief Constables nominate chief officers to liaise on crowd safety with clubs The Chief Constable of each police force in whose area there is one designated sports ground or more should nominate a chief …	View →
TAYL-F45	Alert officers to prevent and remedy overcrowding through operational orders an… The Operational Order for each match at a designated sports ground, and the pre-match briefing of all officers on duty there, should …	View →
TAYL-F46	Operational orders ensure police cope with spectator flow and rapid deployment The Operational Order for each match at a designated sports ground should enable the police to cope with any foreseeable pattern in …	View →
TAYL-F47	Police planning must prevent ticketless fans entering designated sports grounds Police planning should provide that ticketless fans should not be allowed to enter a designated sports ground except in an emergency.	View →
TAYL-F48	Review arrest procedures to minimise officer absence from post at grounds Arrest procedures inside and outside designated sports grounds should be reviewed so as to keep to the minimum the period during which …	View →
TAYL-F49	Officer in command may postpone kick-off, prioritising crowd safety The option to postpone kick-off should be in the discretion of the officer in command at the ground. Crowd safety should be …	View →
TAYL-F50	Consult clubs on early kick-off or Sunday fixtures for high-risk matches Consideration in consultation with the club should be given, especially for high-risk matches, to the possibility of an early kick-off or a …	View →
TAYL-F51	Provide control room with CCTV and turnstile data; train officers in interpreta… There should be available in the police control room the results of all closed circuit television monitoring outside and inside the ground …	View →
TAYL-F52	Provide specific training course for senior police commanders on football match… Consideration should be given to the provision of a specific training course for senior officers presently acting as Police Commanders and those …	View →
TAYL-F53	Require police authorities to review and standardise charges for stadium polici… Police authorities should review the charges they make to clubs for the costs of policing inside grounds so as to ensure that …	View →
TAYL-F54	Ensure sufficient operators and priority radio channels for police control rooms There should be sufficient operators in the police control room to enable all radio transmissions to be received, evaluated and answered. The …	View →
TAYL-F55	Establish dedicated command radio channel for Police Commander and senior offic… There should always be a command channel reserved solely for the Police Commander to communicate with his senior officers round the ground.	View →
TAYL-F56	Implement separate landline telephone system between control room and key groun… To complement radio communications, there should be a completely separate system of land lines with telephone links between the control room and …	View →
TAYL-F57	Install public address system with alert signal for stadium crowd communication Within the control room, there should be a public address system to communicate with individual areas outside and inside the ground, with …	View →
TAYL-F58	Utilise illuminated advertising boards for crowd communication where possible Use should be made where possible of illuminated advertising boards to address the crowd.	View →
TAYL-F59	Require regular inter-service liaison on crowd safety at designated sports grou… The police, fire and ambulance services should maintain through senior nominated officers regular liaison concerning crowd safety at each designated sports ground.	View →
TAYL-F60	Require police to share full pre-match details with emergency services Before each match at a designated sports ground the police should ensure that the fire service and ambulance service are given full …	View →
TAYL-F61	Maintain instant communication links between police and emergency service headq… Lines of communication, whether by telephone or by radio, from the police control room to the local headquarters of all emergency services …	View →
TAYL-F62	Review emergency vehicle access, rendezvous points, and internal ground accessi… Contingency plans for the arrival at each designated sports ground of emergency vehicles from all three services should be reviewed. They should …	View →
TAYL-F63	Brief entrance police on emergency service plans and deployment information Police officers posted at the entrances to the ground should be briefed as to the contingency plans for the arrival of emergency …	View →
TAYL-F64	Require one trained first aider per 1,000 spectators at sports grounds There should be at each sports ground at each match at least one trained first aider per 1,000 spectators. The club should …	View →
TAYL-F65	Mandate equipped first aid rooms as Safety Certificate requirement There should be at each designated sports ground one or more first aid rooms. The number of such rooms and the equipment …	View →
TAYL-F66	Require medical practitioner presence for matches exceeding 2,000 spectators (a) At every match where the number of spectators is expected to exceed 2,000, the club should employ a medical practitioner to …	View →
TAYL-F67	Mandate one fully equipped ambulance for matches with 5,000+ spectators At least one fully equipped ambulance from or approved by the appropriate ambulance authority should be in attendance at all matches with …	View →
TAYL-F68	Specify ambulance numbers for large crowds as Safety Certificate requirement The number of ambulances to be in attendance for matches where larger crowds are expected should be specified by the local authority …	View →
TAYL-F69	Deploy major incident equipment vehicle for crowds exceeding 25,000 A "major incident equipment vehicle", designed and equipped to deal with up to SO casualties, should be deployed in addition to other …	View →
TAYL-F70	Consider creating offence for unauthorised sale of football match tickets Consideration should be given to creating an offence of selling tickets for and on the day of a football match without authority …	View →
TAYL-F71	Make throwing missiles, chanting abuse, pitch invasion specific offences Each of the following activities at a designated sports ground should be made a specific offence:- i. throwing a missile; ii. chanting …	View →
TAYL-F72	Extend court powers for attendance centre orders for football offences Consideration should be given to extending the courts' powers to make attendance centre orders for football related offences on occasions of designated …	View →
TAYL-F73	Consider electronic monitoring (tagging) for football related offence sentencing Consideration should be given to the use of electronic monitoring (tagging) in the sentencing of offenders convicted of football related offences.	View →
TAYL-F74	Home Office to urgently establish body to revise the Green Guide As a matter of urgency, the Home Office should set up a body to revise the Green Guide in accordance with this …	View →
TAYL-F75	Green Guide revision must specify crush barrier loading test recovery values In any revision of the Green Guide, the values to be achieved by way of percentage recovery after the required loading tests …	View →
TAYL-F76	Revised Green Guide must emphasise inspecting crush barriers for corrosion When the Green Guide is revised, the need to inspect crush barriers for possible corrosion should be specifically mentioned and emphasised.	View →

Parliamentary activity

32 mentions since Jun 2016

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Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat)

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Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat)

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Chris Law (Scottish National Party)

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