A TOWN hall employee claims he was victimised after accusing his boss of breaching the council's code of conduct by accepting tickets to watch a premiership soccer match.

Bernard Summers complained after Stuart Knight went on the hospitality trip organised by a firm of developers connected to controversial plans to redevelop Bolton's Market Hall.

Mr Summers, aged 51, reported Mr Knight, but he told an employment tribunal that after his whistle blowing he was subjected to a "systematic campaign of harassment and victimisation".

Mr Summers, head of agency and development in Bolton Council's Corporate property Services, said that his line manager Mr Knight embarked on a campaign to discredit him after complaining about the trip and a claim for expenses. He said Mr Knight went out of his way to "treat him differently" to other staff after he lodged the complaint.

The tribunal heard that Mr Summers disagreed with Mr Knight after he accepted tickets for the game between Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers in London in December from Warner Estates.

Its subsidiary company, Agora, is overseeing the planned renovation of the Market Hall.

Mr Summers, of Chelwood Close, Belmont, later resigned from his post.

He is claiming constructive dismissal.

He told the tribunal on Tuesday that he had believed the acceptance of the tickets and Mr Knight's claims for expenses was in contravention of the council's employee code of conduct.

Mr Summers told the tribunal that as a result of a complaint he made to Bolton Council's director of corporate property services Peter Wilson, he was victimised.

An investigation was launched into his own alleged activities regarding the surveillance of a colleague accused of abusing the flexi-time system.

Mr Summers, who worked for the council for 21 years, says the allegations surrounding his own conduct were pursued rather than those he had made against Mr Knight.

He claimed the investigation into his behaviour came "purely as a result" of his whistle-blowing.

He said that the council "were trying to gain some leverage" in order to gag him.

He told the tribunal that Mr Wilson took material from his electronic files on his work computer to back up the claims, which Mr Summers believed was in breach of the Data Protection Code of Practice.

He says Mr Wilson also warned him over his failure to declare the purchase of a private property from Jones Homes, a company he had previously dealt with on behalf of Bolton Council.

He told the tribunal that the harassment continued "unabated" over a seven month period.

He accused his two bosses of taking him to task over his budgeting requirements, dress code, regrading of salaries, holiday leave and overtime pay.

He alleged that after his resignation in July, when he was serving his notice through holiday time, Mr Knight terminated his email account at Bolton Council and disconnecting a works mobile phone, which he said "caused much personal suffering" when close members of his family could not contact him when his father was admitted to hospital.

Mr Summers told the tribunal that he had "naively" believed the whistle blowing policy would "not only deal with the misconduct of senior officers but would protect the very people who were striving to ensure that the council retained its untarnished image by giving them the confidence to report wrongdoings with absolute impunity and no fear of recriminations."

On behalf of Bolton Council, Geoff Middleton, told the tribunal that Mr Summers himself had previously accepted tickets to a football game at the request of a client, and that such excursions were permitted if they were seen to benefit the council's relationship with a client.

He said that the fact it was Warner Estates offering the hospitality had no bearing on the case, as there was no competition from other developers for the Market Hall contract.

Mr Middleton added that the factors regarding holiday leave and overtime pay which upset Mr Summers were simply procedure and other members of staff had been treated similarly.

He also told the tribunal that Mr Wilson's concerns over budgets and dress code were aimed at the whole department, not specifically Mr Summers, and that Mr Summers' claims were only allegedly aired after the investigation into his behaviour began.

Mr Summers admitted he was the only member of staff in the department who adopted casual dress on a Friday.

Mr Middleton also said it was a matter of course to disconnect emails and phones once an employee had resigned and left the building. Mr Summers had already secured a higher-paid position with another firm shortly before his resignation.

It was also stated that Mr Wilson was permitted to access files on employee computers in accordance with council policy, and that Mr Summers had a duty to inform his employer of private deals conducted with clients he had dealt with at work and may come across again in the future.

(Proceeding)