Council pays £500k for 'gardening leave'

10:00am Friday 4th July 2008

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A COUNCIL has paid out more than £500,000 to suspended officers within the last two years, it has been revealed.

A total of 37 officers at Thurrock Council were suspended on full pay, the Echo discovered after a Freedom of Information request.

In total, £538,720 has been paid out to officers on "gardening leave" - at the cost of the taxpayer.

Eileen McCabe, formerly the council's disability services manager, was one of the employees suspended.

On June 25, 2007, she was suspended on full pay for eight months amid allegations of harassment and bullying.

Allegations included Mrs McCabe, 62, asking "too rudely" for coffee and photocopying.

Mrs McCabe appealed against the decision, yet Thurrock Council upheld her dismissal.

The council did admit the bullying and harassment was not intentional - after Mrs McCabe cited increasing pressure on meeting targets and stress at work as reasons for her behaviour.

Mrs McCabe, of Thames Road, Grays, was earning almost £55,000 a year at the time of her suspension.

She is currently applying to appeal at an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal.

She has revealed how she was diagnosed with reactive depression and considered suicide at the time of her suspension.

She said: "I did not then, and do not now, believe anything I had done was so heinous as to justify my summary dismissal."

The £538,721 cost includes basic pay, business user allowance for their cars and pension costs.

It does not include agency, temporary or acting cover by external agencies or staff.

Mrs McCabe added: "Whatever the eventual amount of money paid out by Thurrock Council from the tax payers' pocket, the personal cost to each individual who has to endure such treatment is far higher and cannot be so easily set aside."

A Thurrock Council spokesman said: "The council only suspends employees where it is considered inappropriate to maintain the employee's attendance while an investigation is carried out and, wherever possible, the council retains employees in post to continue service delivery while investigations are undertaken."