Schools

Lambeth spent £230k on legal fees over superhead departure

It was revealed the council had reached a settlement with Sir Craig Tunstall last month

It was revealed the council had reached a settlement with Sir Craig Tunstall last month

Exclusive

Lambeth council spent £230,000 on legal fees and investigations into England’s former best-paid primary headteacher in a case that has ended in a secret settlement.

Last month, Schools Week revealed how the council and Sir Craig Tunstall had reached a settlement to end a legal row over his controversial dismissal from the council-maintained Gipsy Hill Federation in 2018.

Residents said it left the community “not knowing what really happened” after the six-year saga.

Tunstall launched a high court case against Lambeth and the federation for damages of more than £200,000 over claims of negligence and breach of contract.

But the local authority made a counterclaim attempting to recover damages of potentially £500,000 from Tunstall.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that the council spent £234,000 on the case. This includes nearly £160,000 on solicitor and barrister fees and £20,000 on court fees.

An additional £51,000 was spent on the original disciplinary investigation and £2,900 on a council’s fraud probe. This does not include any settlement figure.

Costs mount up

The costs are close to the £288,000 that Tunstall was accused of receiving without authorisation, which the council alleged in its court documents.

A council spokesperson said they “received external legal advice on this matter and for reasons which remain confidential between the parties” they were unable to comment further.

Simon Morrow, coordinator of community action group Peoples’ Audit, said: “Only Lambeth council and Sir Craig Tunstall know what has happened in this case.

“All we know is that, as council taxpayers, more than £230,000 of our money that could have been spent on cash-strapped services has ended up being paid to lawyers, seemingly to no end.”

Tunstall told Schools Week that the “astronomical amount” spent on legal fees was “rightly concerning”, adding: “If Lambeth’s processes and investigation were sufficiently rigorous and reliable, I fail to understand these costs and the ultimate outcome.”

He said he was prevented from discussing his settlement figure due to a non-disclosure agreement.

Latest education roles from

Senior Quality Officer

Senior Quality Officer

University of Lancashire

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Minerva Learning Trust

Head of Programme 2D Studies – City Lit

Head of Programme 2D Studies – City Lit

FEA

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

New City College

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK schools, pupils are already...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Retire Early, Live Fully: What Teachers Need to Consider First

Specialist Financial Adviser, William Adams, from Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what teachers should be considering when it comes to...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

How accurate spend information is helping schools identify savings

One the biggest issues schools face when it comes to saving money on everyday purchases is a lack of...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Schools

School uniform: New rules to meet Labour’s cap revealed

Government guidance tells schools to confirm changes ASAP, consider legal advice and lets parents complain to government

Jack Dyson
Schools

AI could analyse lessons delivered by new teachers under NIOT pilot

Artificial intelligence could be used to analyse recordings of lessons by early career teachers under a new trial being...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Politics, Schools

Reform government would ‘root out teachers brainwashing kids’ says MP Lee Anderson

Reform UK members tell party conference of need to crack down on 'brainwashing' teachers and stop schools 'becoming indoctrination...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Schools

Farage: ‘Let’s start teaching trades and services at school’

Reform leader also says he ‘will not stand for kids’ minds being poisoned in schools with a twisted interpretation...

Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *