Two wrongs do make a writ!

David Christley issued writs personally against an officer and former councillor last year over potentially defamatory press statements which were issued following the authority's unfair dismissal of him. Both individuals passed the writs on to the city council for the authority to deal with.

The council instructed lawyers to fight the claims and they attempted to have the writs struck out at the High Court in Manchester... the action failed.

An out-of-court settlement was then offered to the former tourism officer who had been unfairly dismissed after being accused of bullying. Mr Christley's lawyers maintained that the statements repeated those untenable allegations. The offer, negotiated by the council's insurers and solicitors, included £5,000 for one statement made by the then acting chief executive, David Corker, £5,000 for former council leader Stanley Henig, £5,000 for Christley's costs. The cost to the council for their own legal fees has been estimated at £25,000.

Since then the council has been negotiating with its insurers on how the costs should be apportioned. The matter will now be debated by the city council's new cabinet on October 2 when the split will be revealed to them.

So far the council has refused to reveal how much of the bill will land at the foot of the taxpayer claiming that the matter is exempt as it concerns financial matters and they further argue it should be discussed in private because it refers to an existing member of staff.

At the time concern had been expressed about tax-payers meeting the bill when it was revealed that the authority had been alerted to the dangers of legal action if it insisted on leaving the statements in the public domain.

One councillor said at the time: "I don't understand what they could have gained from it. It's not as if it was necessary and it was never going to make us money but there was an obvious risk it could cost us... and it did."