Council worker claims £1m over unfair dismissal

A council worker who was made redundant six months before qualifying for a pension payout is claiming £1 million compensation after winning an employment tribunal.

John Wooster, 50, had worked for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for 33 years when he was made redundant shortly before he was due to qualify for a pension lump sum and other benefits if he lost his job. Stratford Employment Tribunal ruled that the East London council dismissed him unfairly and was guilty of age discrimination. The council had claimed that Mr Wooster was a temporary employee since working as a senior consultation officer on secondment at East End Homes, a registered social landlord, since 2001. Mr Wooster, from Chigwell, Essex, is claiming compensation for loss of employment until his age of retirement at 65, loss of pension and injury to feelings. The amount he will be awarded will be decided at a later hearing.

Privacy preserved on coastal path

Plans for walkers to have the right to enter private gardens and land next to the sea as part of the proposed 2,500-mile coastal path around England have been rejected.

The move is a victory for about 5,000 people with homes overlooking the sea who feared that this threat to privacy could reduce the value of their properties. Natural England, the Government’s landscape advisers, wanted to alter current policy which exempts private gardens and estates from new walking rights. Jonathan Shaw, the Rural Affairs Minister, insisted that this safeguard should be maintained.

Tax evasion penalty

Council tax rebels who refuse to pay their bills are to have their bank accounts frozen under plans by ministers to make it easier for town halls to collect payment. The move would put an end to the string of cases in which pensioners have highlighted their campaign against council tax rises by risking three months in jail. In 2005-06, 368 people were sent to prison for failing to pay the tax.

Facebook party ban

A beach party being advertised on the social networking website Facebook may be prevented from taking place, police said. The event is due to start in Torquay tomorrow and last until Sunday, and 4,000 people have signalled that they will attend. But police said that there would be public safety issues if the party took place, and say that they are considering seeking a ban on alcohol sales.

Private eyes on books

Private detectives are being paid by Norfolk County Council to track down overdue library books. A spokesman for the council said that it had spent more than £80,000 in the past three years on debt recovery.

This included the use of private investigators to reclaim unpaid school transport fees, locate the owners of abandoned vehicles and trace missing library books, DVDs and CDs.

Jenkins to head Trust

Sir Simon Jenkins, a former Editor of The Times and a commentator and author, is to be the chairman of the National Trust, the biggest membership organisation in Europe. He will succeed Sir William Proby in November. The decision was made yesterday by the trust’s 52-strong council in Newcastle. Sir Simon said that he took up the post “with a sense of excitement and awe”.

Cat rescuer gets stuck

Firefighters rescued a woman who became stuck up a tree in Colchester, Essex, while trying to reach a cat. The woman, in her twenties, had climbed 20ft (6m) when a branch broke, leaving her stranded with the cat. Elly Hinkins, who called the fire brigade, said: “I think she was quite chuffed to be rescued by some hunky firemen.” The cat evaded the fire crew and was then saved by a window cleaner.

Traffickers grooming British girls for prostitution

British girls are being trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, the Home Office said. As ministers published results of a campaign to tackle people-trafficking, a report disclosed the “emerging issue” of children, usually teenage girls, being moved around Britain. Vernon Coaker, a Home Office minister, said that it tended to involve older men grooming younger women and girls by first appearing to be a friend or boyfriend.

One charity for victims said it had seen 26 cases involving British women. Police estimate that between 6,000 and 18,000 people have been brought into the country for sexual exploitation.

Vaz 'reward' on vote was dismissed as a joke

Labour denied claims that a senior MP would be rewarded for supporting the plan to hold terrorist suspects for 42 days. Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, and Geoff Hoon, the Chief Whip, rejected any suggestion of impropriety after a letter from Mr Hoon hoping Mr Vaz would be “appropriately rewarded” was disclosed to the Commons by David Cameron. Both said that the sentiment in the letter was light-hearted.

EU pesticides ban

Plans by the European Union to ban several pesticides on health grounds would lead to huge losses of vital UK crops such as wheat, potatoes, cabbage and broccoli and could force up food prices, say farming leaders and scientists. Critics claim that the decision is political, not scientific.

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