Barnard Castle Ppicture: SARAH CALDECOTT A TOWN council will be full of fresh faces when it meets for the first time since last week’s local elections after only voters decided to stick with just three former councillors. The large-scale shift in personnel at Barnard Castle Town Council comes after the council lost an employment tribunal for the unfair dismissal of former deputy town clerk Jane Woodward amid “moral disapproval” of her personal relationship with a councillor. Ms Woodward was awarded damages of more than £55,000 and the saga was used by many new candidates who called for a change, and an end to the costly “sleaze”.
Barnard Castle Ppicture: SARAH CALDECOTT A TOWN council will be full of fresh faces when it meets for the first time since last week’s local elections after only voters decided to stick with just three former councillors. The large-scale shift in personnel at Barnard Castle Town Council comes after the council lost an employment tribunal for the unfair dismissal of former deputy town clerk Jane Woodward amid “moral disapproval” of her personal relationship with a councillor. Ms Woodward was awarded damages of more than £55,000 and the saga was used by many new candidates who called for a change, and an end to the costly “sleaze”.
By
• 1 Feb 2021
DISMISSAL CONTROVERSY: Barnard Castle Town Council has come under scrutiny following the unfair dismissal of former deputy clerk Jane Woodward. Councillors Sandra Moorhouse and John Blissett are facing calls to resign
BARNARD Castle Town Council chose not to publicly debate calls for resignations following an employment tribunal which said the sacking of a staff member was a “charade”.
The town council this month lost a lengthy legal case when a judge ruled that former deputy clerk Jane Woodward was unfairly dismissed.Judge Seamus Sweeney was highly critical of Ms Woodward’s treatment at the hands of the town council and senior councillors Sandra Moorhouse and John Blissett. The tribunal also found the council was guilty of disability discrimination.