A COUNCIL has been rebuked for “deliberately and flagrantly” ignoring the recommendations of an employment tribunal – leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.

Durham County Council is also said to have unreasonably protracted proceedings involving former teacher Karen Hall, who was deemed to have suffered 18 separate acts of victimisation while at West Cornforth Primary School.

Mrs Hall, from Hamsterley, County Durham, received £59,321 from the education authority after first taking her case to an employment tribunal three years ago, which found she had suffered “continuous and relentless bullying”.

She continued working at the school, but was formally dismissed in May 2009.

The 39-year-old then sought a review of the original judgement in which the council had agreed to a series of recommendations aimed at remedying her previous treatment.

A tribunal panel has now found that Mrs Hall’s redundancy selection was caused by the council’s failure to implement its recommendations and was therefore a consequence of the victimisation she suffered.

The recommendations included having Mrs Hall restored to her post of literacy leader and being supported in an application for the National Professional Qualification for Headship.

The panel, chaired by employment judge Ruth Rogerson, said: “The respondents have deliberately and flagrantly chosen to ignore the recommendations of the tribunal and this has consequently resulted in further hearings and costs.

“This has also denied the claimant the remedy that she should have received at the outset. It has resulted in a number of applications to try and re-open the findings of the employment tribunal and has protracted these proceedings unnecessarily and unreasonably.”

Mrs Hall, who funded her case against the council, is claiming compensation for the loss of her career and pension rights. The decision means the authority – which must pay Mrs Hall’s costs to date – could now face having to fork out another five-figure sum, to be determined later.

Mrs Hall’s case is the latest in a number of employment tribunal cases involving Durham County Council’s children and young people’s services department.

Acting head of the department Dave Ford said: “We are naturally disappointed in the findings.”

Mrs Hall declined to comment.