A FORMER town clerk who won a tribunal against his unfair sacking has launched a stinging attack on his former employers.

Martin Layton claims that substantial damages paid to him by Pocklington Town Council could have come from a council-run community house and not from reserves as had been claimed.

That allegation has been denied by Pocklington Mayor Kay West, who said the award had not been paid from the reserves of the Friends of Oak House.

Mr Layton was awarded £40,300, in March, after an employment tribunal in Leeds decided he had been unfairly dismissed. He had been Pocklington Town Clerk for 15 years before his sacking.

Mr Layton, who now lives in Beverley, states in a letter: "Shortly after my successful legal action... the town council issued a press release stating that the payment would not be charged to Pocklington Town Council taxpayers.

"The council stated that the payment would be made from reserves... I have recently obtained a copy of the town council's balance sheet as at March 31, 2002 and it is interesting to observe that the council has general reserves of £8,660."

Mr Layton believes that his damages may have been paid out of the Oak House reserves of £30,395.

But Coun West, responding in a statement, said: "The council has not asked for or received any money from the Friends of Oak House to assist with paying Mr Layton's award.

"We have honoured all the financial arrangements made between the town council and the Oak House Management Team when Oak House first opened."

Mr Layton replied that he was still waiting to hear how his damages had been paid by the town council.

Updated: 12:12 Thursday, January 02, 2003