Huge bill for Walsall as whistle-blower is vindicated

06 December 2006

A Midland’s authority has paid out hundreds of thousands of pounds to a whistle-blower who spoke out after discovering colleagues were trying to hide money from auditors.
Walsall Council will have to pay around £650,000 to Peter Francis, who leaked facts about other officers attempting to hide funds from a district auditor and spending money quickly so it would not have to be sent back to the Government. The money, part of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, was meant to be used to improve the town.
An internal audit not only backed Francis claims but found cheques had been issued twice.
Francis, the former head of programme management in the authority’s regeneration team, this week received more than £300,000 in settlement of his claim against the council under the Disability Discrimination Act.
The council has also agreed to pay his tax liability and legal costs of around £284,000, as well as supporting him with his continued recovery by paying for counselling support and outplacement to enable him to get back to work – making the final package around £650,000.
Francis suffered a breakdown through stress following the revelations he made in 2004 and successfully claimed he was forced to leave his £41,000 a year position as a result.

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Huge bill for Walsall as whistle-blower is vindicated

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