Mr Edward Walker v Peninsula Business Services Limited — 2025

Sitting at London South by video on 10 July 2025, Employment Judge Corrigan dealt by paper with the respondent's application for costs in respect of the claimant's earlier interim relief application. The claimant had not made representations despite further opportunity to object and to provide details of his means.

The tribunal accepted that the claimant had some relevant employment law experience. It found that, at the latest by 7 July 2025 when the claimant received the dismissing manager's witness statement, it should have been apparent that the interim relief application was futile because there was no evidence the dismissing manager knew of the protected disclosures. Continuing the application from that point was unreasonable.

Applying rule 74 of the Employment Tribunals Rules of Procedure, and balancing the principle that costs are compensatory rather than punitive against the claimant's loss of income on summary dismissal and the overlap with work needed for the substantive case, the judge ordered the claimant to pay £535.80 (representing the solicitor's attendance fee plus VAT) as a contribution towards the respondent's costs.