Sacked education director gets pay-off

Published on Thursday 18 May 2006 12:42

THE sacked education chief blamed for jeopardising the £550 million PPP new schools plan has received a pay-off by the city council to drop his industrial tribunal.

Colin Dalrymple, former deputy education director, is understood to have received a low four-figure sum in return for not pursuing a case of wrongful dismissal.

Mr Dalrymple, who was on a salary of more than 90,000, was fired after confidential papers were passed on to Balfour Beatty, giving an unfair advantage to one of the bidders for the contract to rebuild and renovate eight schools.

However, Mr Dalrymple, who had been highly thought of by colleagues at the council, thought he was unfairly treated. He instructed solicitors to pursue a claim of unfair dismissal against the city council, which would have been heard this summer.

The tribunal, which would have been heard in public, would have been potentially very embarrassing and costly for the council.

It is understood that senior figures felt it would be cheaper to reach an out-of-court settlement.

Both Mr Dalrymple and Councillor Ewan Aitken, the city's education leader, declined to comment on the matter.

But corporate services director Jim Inch said: "As far as the City of Edinburgh Council is concerned this matter is now closed."