A local authority must pay more than £15,000 to a former employee.

Jacqueline Fearon took Medway Council to an employment tribunal over a complaint of unfair dismissal.

Her last known position within the council was operations manager and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) Manager, which she held between December 2013 and November 2017.

DOLS refers to the procedure in which it is necessary to deprive a person of their liberty if they lack capacity to consent to their care and treatment in order to keep them safe from harm — it is often applied to elderly people.

The case went before London South Employment Tribunal in Croydon in September.

Employment Judge Ferguson subsequently decided last month that Mrs Fearon would be awarded a basic award of £2,000.50 and compensation of £13,555.05.

She declined to comment about the tribunal when her solicitor was contacted by KentOnline.

Medway Council did not wish to release a statement about the matter.

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