Council faces race tribunal
Leeds Council and its arm’s-length management organisation West North West Homes are due to face a racial discrimination tribunal brought by former principal regeneration officer Michael Woodhouse.
In July, the council applied to be excluded from the case on the grounds that Mr Woodhouse was employed by the ALMO. This failed and a subsequent appeal has also now been dismissed.
The case has wide-ranging implications as councils could now find themselves liable for ALMO employees.
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Readers' comments (5)
Gwen Grimshaw | 02/10/2009 8:22 pm
WNWH are a company owned by Leeds city council, the pay slips for WNWH employees are from Leeds city Council, therefore Leeds city council and the three almo's are the same organization just differant departments,
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William Crosland | 03/10/2009 1:03 am
oh, now that would be the same arms length managament companies created by leeds city council, the very same arms length management companies whose letter heads state proudly that they are companies owned by leeds city council!
so why the need for leeds city council via it's proxies the almo's to waste even more council tax payers money in denying something which has been patently obvious to anyone who has received a letter from one of the alleged independent almo's?
a definite, if somewhat crudely elaborate case of smokes and mirrors if i ever i saw one!
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Caroljay | 03/10/2009 2:45 pm
I have been watching this case for a long time, and I admire the courage and tenacity of this gentleman. The issue of WHO actually employs ALMO workers will contine to be an issue, The way the ALMOs are currently set up clearly shows despite the official line that the ALMOs are private companies wholey owned by the council, the fact remains that LCC actually administers HR (including greivances), Salaries, Legal and other departments within the ALMOs, thus demonstrating that the ALMOs do NOT operate independantly a totally private entity/company. Some of these issues were brought up a long time ago by the black workers group and were subsequentally kicked to the kerb, apparently now to the detriment of LCC. I do hope this comment is not censored. thank you. Good luck in gaining justice sir!
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royrogers | 04/10/2009 11:24 am
Are Leeds City Council such a bad employer? I so it is about time the Govt. moved in to sought them out.
If they are put in the dock and foung guilty then the Councilors should be looking at who got them in to the mess they have got into and get rid, it's sad that any employee should have to work in such conditions but that seem to be how it is up in Yorkshire
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Dismay | 07/10/2009 12:19 pm
Mikey has the support of many BME Staff in LCC. He isn't the only BME member of staff that has experienced this type of institutional racism there should be a general enquiry into the amount of BME staff that have been dismissed following disciplinaries across the ALMO city wide as the figures are disproportinate for BME staff. Unfortunately many of these workers did not have the conviction, support or courage to fight back or challenge the oppressors so I wish Mikey every success in this never ending battle against institutional racism in Leeds City Council. I hope this is a win win situation and that Mikey gets justice as well as all the staff in the ALMO who are denied access to vital support mechanisms that other council workers are entitled to.
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