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A whistle-blower has won a pay-out worth almost £600,000 from Walsall MBC, after reporting his bosses for misusing public money. Peter Francis, 51, reached a settlement with the council after an employment tribunal found he had been unfairly dismissed. Mr Francis made several allegations, when he was head of programme management in the regeneration team, including one related to a £1.6m public relations contract. He also questioned a £50,000 grant to Walsall's Citizens Advice Bureau, which, he said, was ‘wrongly given', and a £100,000 payment to balance the books of Walsall Social Services, which used money from Education Walsall. His allegations were backed by the authority's district auditor. Mr Francis claimed he was told he ‘might be opening a can of worms' when he reported the problems. The council agreed to pay Mr Francis £300,000, plus his tax liability and legal costs, which brought the total settlement to £584,000. Council leader, Tom Ansell, said: ‘While the council apologised to Mr Francis for the discrimination he suffered, it is our responsibility to secure a financial settlement which reduced the burden on the council taxpayers of Walsall. ‘Settlements such as this are far from uncommon. We have agreed a sum to go to Mr Francis in the region of £300,000 – somewhat different from the £1m being inaccurately bandied about over recent months. ‘This is a figure felt to be fair and reasonable by both parties. Reaching a settlement avoids the need to resource a five-day remedy hearing, saving significantly on legal fees and officer time.' Simon Bevan, head of fraud at accountant BDO Stoy Hayward, said British organisations had a ‘horrific record in looking after whistle-blowers' and cases frequently involved large payouts.

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FINANCE

Whistle-blower gets £600k

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