Sheila Lock, former Leicester City Council chief executive, has lost her legal challenge against unfair dismissal.
Peter Soulsby: ‘very pleased’ that the court had accepted the council had acted reasonably. Ms Lock was released from her £174,000 role in August, following the decision by Sir Peter Soulsby to combine her remit with his own as directly-elected mayor.
Sir Peter announced plans to axe the post as he felt there was an overlap in responsibilities, particularly with providing strategic direction.
In her High Court claim for a judicial review, Ms Lock argued she had been a victim of injustice and that the move to scrap her post was taken unfairly. But the judge rejected taking the case for a full hearing, having reviewed the evidence, leaving Ms Lock to pay the council’s legal costs.
Responding the decision, Sir Peter was ‘very pleased’ that the court had accepted the council had acted reasonably and responsibly.
‘We took careful legal advice throughout the process. We made sure that every rule was followed,’ he said.
Sir Peter recently scrapped a report recommending his salary should be almost doubled.
