A COUNCIL is refusing to publish a review into the death of a Redcar father and his daughter despite calls from the town’s MP.

Philip Braithwaite and seven-year-old Jessica died in their home on Hawthorn Road, Redcar, on May Day, 2011,

A serious case review (SCR) was ordered in the wake of the tragedy that shocked the people living near the family home.

Publication was delayed until an inquest was concluded the following year when Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield recorded a verdict that Mr Braithwaite, 49, killed himself and that Jessica was killed unlawfully.

Two years later Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is still refusing to release the report prepared by the Redcar and Cleveland Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) - into how authorities acted in the case.

Ian Swales, the Liberal Democrat MP for Redcar, said: “The council should be publishing any details they have, and the fact they are not suggests an investigation could be required to see if this awful tragedy could have been averted.”

A SCR is requested when a child is seriously injured or dies as a result of maltreatment to find if there are lessons can be learned by the authorities who had dealings with the family.

The decision not to publish the report had been discussed with the Department for Education, according the board’s chairman Jan van Wagtendonk.

He said: “The board’s decision to withhold publication of the report is down to the fact that we could not anonymise the report in such a way that it would protect the individuals concerned.

“While we accept there is a public interest in reporting the work of the board, the SCR makes it clear that the lessons learned have been clearly identified and changes in procedures and practice implemented.

“The RCSCB is committed to safeguarding children and learning lessons through SCRs.

"It also supports the policy of publishing them, except in exceptional circumstances as was the case in this instance.”

Teesside Coroner’s Court heard in 2012 that Mr Braithwaite had intended to kill his entire household and had researched the methods on the internet before the tragedy.

He had suffered from mental health issues for nine months before the tragic blaze.

An investigation carried out by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust found that, although nothing could have been done to prevent Mr Braithwaite’s actions, more work could be done in sharing information between mental health professionals and GPs.