The parish council of Puddington, a Wirral village of just 300 residents, has collapsed following a protracted dispute with its former clerk, leaving only one councillor still in office.
The row centred on Luke Trevaskis, who served as clerk from January 2020 until his dismissal in August 2023. An employment tribunal in Liverpool heard that councillors turned against him after he raised concerns about the council’s lack of insurance. He was accused of “scaremongering” and told by the chairman not to issue further warnings, despite statutory obligations.
Mr Trevaskis described a hostile working environment in which he was copied into “antagonistic discussions” about him on a daily basis, to the point that he “dread[ed] checking his emails.” In June 2023, he told colleagues he was working “under protest” and disclosed that the situation was affecting his health. Rather than address his concerns, the tribunal was told, the council’s vice-chair suggested he should “just resign.”
The clerk was later dismissed and reported to police over delays in returning a council laptop and files. No charges were brought. Councillors also accused him of deliberately leaving the authority uninsured—allegations later disproven when it emerged he had secured insurance but councillors failed to authorise payment.
Employment Judge Rachel Barker called the council’s claims “baffling” and found that its behaviour was “at best reckless and at worst malicious.” She ruled that the council was more likely attempting to “pin the blame for their failures” on Mr Trevaskis, who had by then launched legal proceedings.
The tribunal upheld his claims of disability discrimination and unfair dismissal, awarding him nearly £50,000 in compensation.
Mr Trevaskis said he pursued the case to defend principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability in public service. “The people who step up to serve – often unpaid – deserve access to the right support, training, and guidance to help them fulfil their roles,” he said.
The dispute has left Puddington Parish Council effectively dissolved, with a mass resignation of councillors and governance of the village in disarray.