A FORMER senior executive at a council was asked to “cover up” wrongdoings in the sale of a Grade I listed building, it has been claimed.

Karen Whitmore, formerly assistant director of organisation and governance at Middlesbrough Council, claims she was asked to hide the fact an appropriate delegation had not been used in the sale of Acklam Hall by interim chief executive Tony Parkinson.

Mrs Whitmore made the claims during the second day of an employment tribunal against Middlesbrough Council over alleged unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination.

She was eventually made redundant from her job in a “flawed process” and was “escorted from the office”.

In her statement, Mrs Whitmore said: “A significant price reduction of £1.2 million had been agreed by officers, but there was no delegated authority in place to allow officers rather than councillors to accept the reduction.

“Mr Parkinson told me the Mayor and chief executive didn’t want this fact released and I must find a way to hide it.”

Middlesbrough Council strongly deny the allegations.

An independent audit last year found no wrongdoing by the council, but Mrs Whitmore claims that internal auditor Helen Fowler had been told to “add words” to her report.

“She (Ms Fowler) was having trouble getting the managers to sign off the final version of the report,” she said.

“She said she had never had so much difficulty in getting a report signed off.”

Christopher Jeans QC, acting for the council, said: “You’re saying they deviated from their professional obligations?”

He also claimed the words that were added could have been “legitimate” and “sensible”

Interrupting proceedings, the judge claimed these were “very serious allegations that are being made”.

Mrs Whitmore responded: “The wording was around saying that there was no evidence of impropriety from council officers.”

Mrs Whitmore had previously made allegations of a “laddish, locker-room” culture at the council, with some women referred to as “posh birds”.”

In yesterday’s evidence, she said during a presentation to the leadership management about sexually transmitted diseases, Mr Parkinson, who was sitting next to her, muttered it coincided with a female colleague.

She added this was intended as a joke about the supposed promiscuity of the colleague, and Mr Parkinson immediately texted some comments to former chief executive Mike Robinson, who read the message and smirked.

In questioning, Mrs Whitmore admitted she had not seen the message, but the reaction had made her “assume”.

The tribunal continues.