Council leisure body in £800,000 unfair dismissal payout

A council leisure body in South Lanarkshire has paid £800,000 to a former manager over unfair dismissal.

At an employment tribunal, South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) was found to have unfairly dismissed Gerald Campbell.

Mr Campbell was sacked for alleged gross misconduct, but judges ruled in favour of his claim.

He told the Herald newspaper he faced an "appalling investigation" and a "fault-ridden disciplinary process".

Mr Campbell worked for South Lanarkshire council since 1999.

In 2006 he became general manager of SLLC, which runs a number of leisure facilities on behalf of the council.

Employment judge Mary Kearns said council officials wrongly stepped into an investigation of gross misconduct made against Mr Campbell.

She said the investigation failed to interview key witnesses and some opinions were reported as fact.

Judge Kearns ruled there was "no reasonable grounds" for Mr Campbell to be sacked.

She said the decision was based on "obvious inconsistencies" and "wrong assumptions" which "no reasonable employers would have made".

The tribunal also heard Mr Campbell was subjected to disability discrimination due to a stress and anxiety diagnosis.

SLLC highlighted that the events covered by the employment tribunal date from five years ago.

A spokesman said: "Since then, South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture has moved on in many ways.

"There is a new management in place and the organisation has been reconstituted as a scottish charitable incorporated organisation.

"The core focus of the entire team is on delivering the best possible leisure and culture services."