The home secretary has rejected an offer by the bishop of Sheffield to set up an independent panel to examine events surrounding the “battle of Orgreave”, one if the most brutal clashes between police and miners during the 1984 miners’ strike.

The Right Rev Dr Peter Wilcox said there was strong public support for the government to commission a review, but he had been unable to persuade the Home Office of this.

Campaigners have long been calling for a public inquiry into the events of 18 June 1984, when South Yorkshire police officers clashed with striking miners on a picket line in Orgreave, between Rotherham and Sheffield.

Officers, many in riot gear, are alleged to have used excessive force to suppress pickets at a British Steel Corporation (BSC) coking plant. A total of 95 miners were charged following the clashes, but their trial collapsed amid allegations that officers had fabricated their accounts.

In 2016, the then home secretary Amber Rudd rejected the possibility of an inquiry into Orgreave, saying very few lessons for the policing system of today could be learned from any review of events 30 years ago. Campaigners had called on her successor, Sajid Javid, to review that decision.

“We had high hopes that his approach would be seen as a real chance to get to the truth about what happened at Orgreave on 18 June 1984 and afterwards,” said Chris Hockney, chair of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign.

“It’s a real kick in the teeth not just for us but for all the people and institutions who Bishop Pete has approached and who, like us, believe there’s a real need to address this part of history so mining communities can get truth and justice.”

Former miner Kevin Horne, one of those arrested at Orgreave, said: “It is 35 years since the strike, and I think the government hopes we’ll take this to our graves.

“If they’ve nothing to hide then they should welcome the chance offered by the bishop to have a thorough and authoritative review of what’s held on record, rather than keep trying to cover up the corruption of the past.”

Wilcox said: “It has been evident to me ever since I took up my role in September 2017 that there would be considerable support in this diocese, and real public benefit, if some means could be found to enable an independent review of the archives, held nationally, relating to events at Orgreave in 1984 and their aftermath.”

He said he remained convinced that an independent panel would “serve the public interest by securing maximum possible disclosure of relevant documentation and explaining what the documents reveal”.

The Home Office said: “The government’s decision not to accept an offer to set up a panel into Orgreave was made after careful consideration and took into account how the policing landscape has changed since the events three decades ago.”