THE date and place has been set for a Judicial Review which will look into the processes followed by Ledbury town council in finding two town councillors, Cllr Liz Harvey and Cllr Andrew Harrison, guilty of bullying staff.

Cllr Harvey, but not Cllr Harrison, launched a legal process last year which, if the town council loses the legal battle, could feasibly cost the town council around £140,000.

The money could come from the public purse, or possibly from insurance.

Town Clerk, Karen Mitchell, has issued a brief statement that "the Judicial Review is scheduled to be heard on March 1, at the Bristol Civil Justice Centre."

So the stage is now set for a court room battle between Cllr Harvey on one side and Ledbury Town Council on the other.

Last autumn, the judge who granted permission for a judicial review, said he believed the issue was not one of "general public importance".

In granting the go-ahead for a judicial review, Judge Allan Gore QC said: "It is not accepted that the principal issue raised is one of general public importance, let alone an issue of law of general importance."

However, the figure as high as £140,000 has been widely reported beforehand as the likely costs of a judicial review; but Cllr Harvey, in a statement last year, said she believed this could be lower.

She said: "It is very significant that the Judge has confirmed that there is no new law to be made in determining the case. This means that it is a straightforward matter to be resolved in the High Court. My legal fees involved will be much reduced as a consequence."

The procedures that found Cllr Harvey and Cllr Andrew Harrison guilty of bullying staff were under employment law; but a separate Code of Conduct investigation, by Herefordshire Council found that neither Cllrs Harvey and Harrison had been in breach of the Code, which covers how councillors must treat others.

Ledbury Town Council did not oppose the granting of permission for a judicial review