A FORMER Salisbury district council employee, wrongly sacked not once but twice last year, has had her claim for unfair dismissal settled out of court.

Maggie Delauncey has been awarded a five-figure sum in compensation after the council accepted "there was no misconduct by the employee in relation to the circumstances of her dismissal", just days before her case was due before a Southampton employment tribunal.

Mrs Delauncey, who was employed at the council's Bourne Hill offices as a graphic designer, was initially sacked last June for failing to distance herself from the "inappropriate" actions of three other members of staff.

Months earlier, they had gone public at a meeting of the council's resources and scrutiny committee with accusations of workplace bullying and harassment.

But Mrs Delauncey, who lives in Chilmark, said the real reason for her dismissal was the fact that she had raised a number of concerns with the district auditor in August 2002.

"They dismissed me because I wouldn't dissociate myself, or I failed to dissociate myself from their actions," she said.

"This was just a convenient excuse.

"Yes, they were friends of mine and I sympathised with what they were doing and why they were doing it, but I was at that meeting because it concerned the unit I worked in.

"I wasn't going to make a statement.

"The real reason I was sacked was because I had written to the district auditor about suspicions of improper conduct months before, which the council was well aware of."

Following her dismissal, Mrs Delauncey took her case to an employment tribunal and tried to claim protection under the Public Interest Disclosure Act.

"They couldn't believe the reasons that were given," she said.

"They described the charges as so weak as to cast very serious doubt as to whether they were the true reasons.

"After that, I won my appeal at a council hearing but, instead of reinstating me, they promptly sacked me again.

"They didn't give a reason that time, except that their trust and confidence in me had broken down."

Mrs Delauncey said she was left with no choice but to fight her corner at a second employment tribunal.

But this time, the council admitted there was no misconduct on her part, days before her case was due to be heard last December.

"People who work for local authorities usually have the good of their communities at heart," said Mrs Delauncey.

"They have to be able to challenge constructively, without fear of reprisal, if local government is to be accountable."

A spokesperson for Salisbury district council said there was no misconduct by the employee but there were circumstances that had led to a breakdown of trust and confidence between the parties, and which had made it impossible for Mrs Delauncey to continue working for the council.

She also said Mrs Delauncey's original concerns had been reported to the council's cabinet and that they had found no wrongdoing by any councillor, other individual or company.