EXCLUSIVE

A school caretaker who was suspended over an asbestos scare says Medway Council made him a scapegoat.

Tony Riddington, 52, former caretaker at Woodlands Primary School, Gillingham, accused officers of ignoring asbestos problems since a 2002 fire, and trying to pin the full blame for a 2009 scare on him.

He was suspended over the incident, which he claimed left him no choice but to resign.

Mr Riddington, pictured left, said: "I don't think the council ever considered whether they were treating me fairly. It always seemed to be about saving their jobs and they didn't care who had to go on the way."

Mr Riddington, of Barnsole Road, brought a constructive dismissal claim against his former bosses and appeared at an employment tribunal this week.

The trouble began when Woodlands head Nic Fiddaman offered the caretaker's private firm £750,000 to build a school extension, breaching competition laws.

Estimates later rose to £2.7 million, and when the council investigated it emerged seven workers, including Mr Riddington, had been exposed to asbestos.

His firm was stripped of the work and he was suspended while a probe was carried out.

He returned as caretaker within two weeks, but said from then on: "There was always a person from the council picking holes in what I was doing. There was gossip and rumour."

At the end of the year he resigned, saying the job had become "intolerable".

He told the tribunal: "I believe they made a point of asbestos in order that the paperwork trail stopped with me.

"When all of us have retired the new people at Medway Council will see it as my fault. I believe they are trying to prevent potential future litigation regarding asbestos."

The council's principal auditor Graham Matthews admitted the fiasco had caused "considerable embarrassment" and the council's handing had been "inadequate".

The tribunal heard the council had pressurised governing body chair Elena Mutter-Child into suspending the caretaker, while Mr Fiddaman, who was not given a say, called the decision "outrageous".

Medway Council HR head Ralph Edwards said: "It was felt he should be suspended, not because he had done something personally. It just wasn't known at the time."

Mr Edwards was criticised for visiting the caretaker's home to suspend him, when rules said the head teacher or governing body should have been present.

After the hearing, Mr Riddington said: "As a caretaker I didn't wake up one morning and decide I was going to spend £2.5million of the council's money. They decided to turn the school into a two-form entry and they asked me to do it. It's as simple as that. I did as I was told."

The tribunal reserved judgement until a later date.