HEREFORDSHIRE Council has hushed up a series of bullying allegations with settlement and severance payments bound by confidentiality clauses.

The council is backed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in refusing to release all but the most basic details of the allegations and resolutions.

This ruling means the Hereford Times cannot report how much public money has been spent in settlement and severance payments to resolve allegations said to involve between 10 and 20 staff.

The ICO – which polices the Freedom of Information Act – was asked to review the council’s response last year to a request for information about severance payments relating to the allegations.

The council confirmed that payments were made in the last quarter of 2012 and the second quarter of 2013 in relation to a grievance regarding bullying and harassment.

According to the ICO report, five payments were made with 10 to 20 individuals involved in the grievance.

These payments, the report says, were made as “grievance settlements” that had not been declared publicly.

The council told the ICO that further disclosure would cause “damage and distress” to those involved professionally and personally.

Such information, the council said, revealed how a private dispute was settled and the amount of money received as a result of settling that dispute.

Those settlements contained clauses relating to the “need” to keep the contents confidential and binding to all parties involved.

Assurances were also given by the council that information about the settlements would not be disclosed.

The ICO accepted a “legitimate public interest” in the disclosure of the withheld information but ruled that public interest did not outweigh the interests of the “case subjects”.

In a statement, the council said the ICO had upheld the council’s decision and stated the information that was withheld was confidential and the council was correct to exempt it.