Bridgnorth Town Council expecting £350,000 legal bill
Thursday 15th December 2011, 12:59PM GMT.
Bridgnorth Town Council is facing a bill of about £350,000 for fighting employment tribunal cases brought against it by a former clerk and her personal assistant, it was revealed today.
Money for the legal fight will come out of the council’s general reserves but whether it has a knock-on effect on council tax bills next year will be a matter for councillors, town clerk Anne Wilson said.
The tribunal case of former town clerk Rachel Humphries is under way in Birmingham and is expected to last into the new year.
Mrs Humphries, of Coalbrookdale, is claiming the town council and a group of members sexually discriminated against her.
Her then PA, Mary Merrifield, is also taking the authority to tribunal in Birmingham and her case was expected to finish today. Mrs Merrifield is claiming she was unfairly dismissed.
Mrs Wilson said that costs in Mrs Humphries’s case were so far running at £220,000 and did not include fees for a barrister and solicitor, who have been representing the authority since the tribunal hearing began last week.
Mrs Wilson said the cost to the council in Mrs Merrifield’s case were expected to be almost £50,000 in total.
Speaking about Mrs Humphries’s case, she said: “The final bill for the hearing to the council will, on current calculations, be about £280,000 to £300,000 and the claimant’s costs could be added to that if the council loses.
“There are no contingency funds to pay the fees and it will have to come out of general reserves.”
She added: “The budget will be considered by councillors in January next year and it will be a matter for them whether the costs incurred affect the precept on council tax.”
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