Unfair dismissal claim won by council employee

A council employee has won an unfair dismissal claim brought against his employers Birmingham Council.

Experts in the field of legal employment may have been behind the successful closure of the case, which was brought when an open letter from a town councillor accused Peter Hurlstone of stealing oak panelling from the local magistrate court, reports the Shropshire Star.

Compensation will be allocated by a panel of experts and might be used by the victim to make up for loss of earnings and distress caused by the incident.

Chairman Fiona Monk said the "serious nature of the allegation and the manner in which it was circulated" meant there "can be no possible argument it was anything other than unfair constructive dismissal".

Legal referral service Contact Law has seen a 15 per cent rise in the number of people requesting information on employment matters in recent months.