Court dismisses costs appeal

The trial Judge was correct when he decided that Christine Laird should bear some of her own costs following last year`s court case – that`s the conclusion of the Court of Appeal.

Mrs Laird`s appeal against having to meet some of her own costs was dismissed by the Court of Appeal today and this means that the costs to Cheltenham Borough Council do not increase.

The High Court Judge in June last year required the council to pay 65% of Mrs Laird`s costs of the court case; Mrs Laird to meet the remaining 35% herself. The actual sum to be paid by the council has yet to be determined.

Andrew North, chief executive at Cheltenham Borough Council said: ‘`I am satisfied with the outcome of today`s hearing and as the Judge said after the trial, I hope that we can now draw a line under this whole matter.

‘`We are a very different organisation to the council which Mrs Laird was appointed to lead. We have transformed the way in which the council operates, offering improved services for our customers whilst making some significant financial savings. Our progress has been recognised by the audit commission which has recently scored our performance very highly.

‘`Although we felt it was correct to bring this case to try and recover the costs of the damaging employment dispute, we are keen now to move on.``