Former town clerk says deputy was causing bad atmosphere among staff
The former clerk to Welshpool Town Council has told an industrial tribunal that his feeling that his deputy should be dismissed was because of the ill-feeling among staff and had nothing to do with a fear that the disrepair of the town hall's fire alarm system was about to be uncovered.
Mr Robert Robinson said that three members of his staff were threatening to leave and he had found two in tears because of the way they were treated by deputy clerk, Mr Martin Bond.
He said it came to a head when, at a meeting in May he said if Mr Bond did not go, he would.
The tribunal is considering an unfair dismissal and whistleblowing claim from the former deputy clerk, Mr Bond.
Earlier this week tribunal members heard that Mr Bond had prepared a report on the fire alarm system together with an estimate from a contractor on the cost of its replacement. He said that the batteries weren't replaced between 2016 and 2019.
When being cross-examined by Mr Bond on Thursday, Mr Robinson told the tribunal that he held his hand up to knowing that there was something wrong with batteries in the system and not dealing with it.
"I know I got things wrong with the batteries but it was a collective responsibility, admit that I got it wrong but that has nothing to do with your dismissal," Mr Robinson said.
"I had three members of staff threatening to leave and found two in tears. I asked you to go and make your peace with them. I wanted to move on and help you settle down."
The former clerk also admitted telling a meeting of councillors that if Mr Bond didn't go, then he would go.
"I was going to leave because I couldn't stand the strain of the atmosphere, you could cut the air with a knife when you came into that office."
Mr Bond asked why Mr Robinson had not formalised the complaints.
"I was trying to settle things down and get things behind us," Mr Robinson said.
