Claimant v London Borough of Redbridge — 2021

The tribunal found that the claimant’s case was a claim for unfair dismissal arising from his dismissal on 3 March 2021. The respondent relied on misconduct, namely the claimant’s failure to deal with two parking penalty charge notices incurred while using a council vehicle, which escalated until bailiffs attended the respondent’s depot. The tribunal accepted that this gave the respondent grounds to regard the matter as bringing it into disrepute.

The tribunal found that the respondent followed a fair disciplinary process. The claimant was investigated, invited to a disciplinary hearing with documentation and representation, attended that hearing with trade union representation, and exercised a right of appeal to a panel of councillors. The tribunal also found that the dismissing officer genuinely believed the claimant had committed misconduct and that this belief was based on reasonable grounds.

The tribunal accepted that the claimant was experiencing significant personal difficulties, including relationship breakdown, miscarriages affecting his former partner, anxiety, possible depression, and gambling-related financial problems. It found, however, that those matters were considered as mitigation and did not make dismissal fall outside the range of reasonable responses. The tribunal also found that the separate Facebook warning was not material to the fairness of the dismissal decision. It therefore concluded that the dismissal was fair and dismissed the claim.