Council ordered to pay former monitoring officer almost £5,000 over race-related harassment
- Details
Peterborough City Council's former Director of Legal and Governance and monitoring officer has been awarded almost £5,000 in compensation after an Employment Tribunal concluded she had suffered race-related harassment while working at the local authority.
Rochelle Tapping brought a claim against Peterborough following her dismissal as a council officer in 2023.
She complained of 43 instances in which she suffered discrimination as a council employee.
In October 2025, an employment tribunal upheld two of Tapping's 43 complaints. The first concerned a conversation in which the chief executive, Matthew Gladstone, asked Tapping whether she knew or was friends with Adsuwa Omoregie, who had just been hired as the authority's interim head of legal.
The second upheld complaint related to a photo the council's chief finance officer, Cecilie Booth, sent to an officer's WhatsApp group that may have appeared to the recipients to be a naked black woman.
Local Government Lawyer understands that Tapping is appealing. The council has confirmed that it has lodged a cross-appeal of the decision.
The tribunal last month issued a remedy judgment ordering Peterborough to pay its former monitoring officer £3,750 as compensation for injury to feelings as a result of discrimination, alongside £1,067, interest on compensation for injury to feelings.
The judgment said: "The two acts, together do not amount to a campaign of harassment or to significant conduct extending over a period which thereby led to a prolonged hostile or adverse environment.
“In our judgement, in spite of what the Claimant now says, they have had no lasting impact on her current and future work, or on her on personal life or quality of life. In our judgement, a fair, just and proportionate award for injury to feelings is £3,750."
The tribunal said it saw no need to issue recommendations, stating: "The Claimant was subjected to two discrete acts of harassment, the first of which was the result of a slip of the tongue, where there was no intention to cause offence, and the second of which was intended by Ms Booth as a light-hearted communication whilst she was on holiday.
"Whether on their own or together, they do not point to a need for further action on the part of the Respondent to address diversity, equality and inclusion issues within the Council, or at least to the need for a recommendation by this Tribunal that action should be taken."
On this point, it also noted that an apology had already been offered to Tapping, together with assurances from Gladstone that he has personally learned from the experience.
A spokesperson for Peterborough said: “We can confirm a cross appeal has been lodged and therefore it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.”
Adam Carey
