Case 6011440/2025 · Employment Tribunal

Mr A G Laing v Sheffield City Council — 2026

Case reference: 6011440/2025
Decision date: 24 June 2026
Jurisdiction: England & Wales
Judge: Employment Judge S Shore Representation
Venue: Sheffield

Indexed: 17 July 2026

Parties

2 named

Claimant

Mr A G Laing

Respondent

Sheffield City Council

Key findings

Tribunal's reasoning

Mr Laing's direct race discrimination complaints under section 13 of the Equality Act 2010 were dismissed. The Tribunal found that the allegations concerning being sent home on 12 November 2021, contact and updates during suspension, the length of the suspension, aspects of the disciplinary investigation, dismissal on 22 October 2024, handling of grievances, and the timing of his return to work all failed. Four further allegations concerning basic salary, documents submitted for the investigation, witnesses who were not interviewed, and the treatment of race discrimination allegations during the dismissal appeal were dismissed upon withdrawal.

The respondent accepted that Mr Laing's allegations of race discrimination at appeal meetings in January 2025 were protected acts for the purposes of section 27 of the Equality Act 2010. His victimisation complaint nevertheless failed because the Tribunal rejected the alleged detriment that the respondent delayed his return to work following the appeal outcome.

The unauthorised deduction from wages complaints under section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 also failed. The complaint concerning sickness absence between 10 December 2021 and 7 June 2022 was presented out of time when it had been reasonably practicable to present it in time, and the Tribunal stated that it would also have failed on its merits. The complaints concerning the suspension period from 21 June 2022 to 22 October 2024 and the period between dismissal and reinstatement from 23 October 2024 to 14 February 2025 failed.

As all claims were dismissed, the Tribunal did not determine remedy and made no monetary award.

Claims and outcomes

3 findings recorded

Claim type	Issue or finding	Outcome	Protected characteristic	Award
Race discrimination	The remaining direct race discrimination allegations failed; four allegations were dismissed upon withdrawal by the claimant.	Dismissed	Race	—
Victimisation	The respondent accepted that the claimant's allegations of race discrimination at the January 2025 appeal meetings were protected acts, but the alleged detriment failed.	Dismissed	Race	—
Unlawful deduction from wages	All three unauthorised deduction from wages complaints failed.	Dismissed	—	—

Legal tests applied

4 references

Official outcome judgment PDF

Gov.uk primary record

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