A SENIOR local government worker has been awarded £50,000 in compensation after a tribunal ruled he had been unfairly made redundant.

Fred Craggs, the former chief architect at Easington District Council, in County Durham, was made redundant by the authority in August 2003.

A tribunal ruled in April that the authority had withheld suitable alternative employment from Mr Craggs and had not followed its redundancy procedures.

Mr Craggs said: "I am, of course, pleased with the tribunal decision, but at the same time angry that it has taken more than two years to get to the truth.

"It is clear now I was forced out of a job I enjoyed. My only aim was to serve the people of Easington."

Mr Craggs' claim was supported by his trade union, Unison. A spokesman said: "We sincerely hope lessons have been learned by the council and that no one else has to go through what Fred Craggs did.

"The elected members and senior officers of Easington District Council must realise this could have been avoided and is an unnecessary waste of council taxpayers' money.

"The council needs to take a long, hard look at the facts of this case and ensure there is no repeat."

An Easington District Council spokesman said: "We are disappointed with the outcome of the tribunal, but accept its findings.

"At the time, District of Easington Council felt it was acting in the best interests of Mr Craggs."