Douglas Council leader David Christian has ordered an independent review into the handling of a recent employment tribunal.

It centres around the case of a gully operative who was ruled to have been unlawfully deducted pay during the pandemic.

A statement issued by the local authority last week said that it did not accept or agree with the decision, particularly the ’personal criticism of officers employed by the council’ included in the Employment and Equality Tribunal’s ruling.

The statement said that William Pye (who was awarded £5,000 in compensation) had his pay docked because he had been absent from the island ’for over three months as a result of taking a holiday’.

The tribunal, however, ruled this to be unlawful ’on the basis of back dated doctor’s notes, issued without the individual concerned being seen by the doctor’.

The statement also said that ’officers of the council involved in the matter were doing their jobs in difficult and trying circumstances’ referring to the pandemic which also closed the council offices.

However, it has now come to light that the statement was issued without being approved by council members.

It was emailed to us by the man who usually prepares council press releases.

Mr Christian said: ’It possibly has sent out the wrong message, it’s certainly not what I was wanting to achieve in a press release.

’I simply wanted to point out that I’m very concerned about the other members of staff now being dragged through social media, and the references to them and their private lives - particularly when some of the quotes do not seem to be attributed to the right person’.

’I’ve had one ratepayer contact me on this matter, and I think that speaks volumes.’

Asked if he was concerned how the press release was published, and whether this was a simple administrative failure or a more serious error, Mr Christian said: ’On this occasion it was the fact it was drawn up by the legal people - they obviously felt it didn’t need to be checked by anybody else.

’It’s been made very clear now that is wrong. All press releases must come via whoever is the leader of the council, via the chief executive, and must go out to all elected members 24 hours before.

He explained that as some council members had raised ’some good valid points’ since, and that had they seen the statement before its release there was ’every possibly that release would not have gone out, or gone out in the form that it went out’.

Mr Christian added that the issue with the press release ’was dealt with and should not happen again’.

He concluded that the independent review would look into ’the actions taken by the council in relation to this whole case, in putting the case together, going to a tribunal, and the press release’.