Gscene News Archive

Craig Turton, Labour councillor for East Brighton, is the latest local politician to sign the cross party petition set up to have Brighton Council disclose how much public money they spent fighting two Employment Tribunal cases against Natasha Thoday, a transgender teacher, who was supported in her tribunals against Brighton and Hove Council by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Brighton and Hove Green Councillors, Ben Duncan, Rachel Fryer, Amy Kennedy, Sven Rufus, Jason Kitkat and the prospective Green Candidate for Pavilion, Caroline Lucas have all signed the petition to have the council reveal how much public money was spent persecuting Ms Thoday.

It has emerged that the new acting Chief Executive of Brighton Council, Alex Bailey, decided to fight Ms Thoday before any tribunal papers had been lodged.

In a letter to Cllr Paul Elgood, leader of the Lib Dems on the council, released after a Freedom of Information application, Alex Bailey confirms the council decided to fight Natasha Thoday before she had lodged her tribunal case, and that under him, officers never intended to try to settle her case.

Instead Bailey accuses Ms Thoday of wanting '£90,000 plus' in settlement saying that 'she would not have settled.'

Gscene have not been able to identify any negotiations between Ms Thoday and Brighton Council and Ms Thoday denies ever having entered any discussions about a financial settlement with Brighton Council.

In a letter to Ms Thoday the district auditor has referred to Ms Thoudy wanting 'too much money' to settle.

Gscene have asked the district auditor to produce any evidence of negotiations between Brighton Council and Ms Thoday about any financial settlements in this case. A response from the District Auditor is awaited.

Despite being the only council in the Country to be identified as a discriminatory employer by the Times Educational Supplement last year, Brighton Council moved from eighth place to third place in the Stonewall gay friendly employers index this month.

Stonewall do not campaign for the rights of transgender people in England but do in Scotland.

To sign the petition to go to: www.gopetition.com/petitions/freedom-of-information-brighton-hove-council/signatures-page1.html