Council sacked land deal whistle-blower, court told

Martin Tiffin said he worked for BCP Council and its predecessor for 15 years

A former council officer was unfairly dismissed after raising concerns about the cost of development deals, an employment tribunal has been told.

Martin Tiffin claims he told Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council in 2021 and 2022 it was paying too much for land.

He told the hearing he subsequently suffered discrimination, bullying and harassment before being sacked.

The case at Southampton Magistrates' Court is due to conclude at a later date.

Giving evidence, Mr Tiffin said his whistle-blowing led to the council withdrawing an assistant who had been helping him with his deafness since 2008.

He said removing his PA meant it had been hard if not impossible to do parts of his job.

"It became clear I was being excluded from meetings because I didn't have a PA to help transcribe reports and discussions at the meetings".

Mr Tiffin, who is representing himself at the tribunal, also claimed the lack of an assistant to take notes "allowed officers to control what information was presented to councillors before making decisions... that involved considerable sums of public money".

Mr Tiffin used to be the lead officer at Future Places, the council's urban development company and said he had worked for the council and its predecessor for 15 years.

He alleges disability discrimination over the PA's removal and further claims he was the subject of bullying and harassment from the council's chief executive Graham Farrant and the senior leadership team.

Mr Tiffin withdrew a claim of sexual discrimination over missed promotions.

The council denies his accusations and the hearing continues.