Gloucestershire County Council

Case Summary

The claimant, Mr Adam Hatch, was found to have been unfairly dismissed from Gloucestershire County Council. The case will proceed to determine remedies for the successful unfair dismissal claim at a later hearing.

The tribunal determined that Gloucestershire County Council failed to follow fair dismissal procedures and that the decision to dismiss Mr Hatch was substantively unfair.

• •GFRS' belief in the Claimant's gross misconduct on reasonable grounds
• •Reasonableness of the investigation conducted by GFRS
• •Fairness of the procedure followed by GFRS

Case No: 6002013/2024 1 EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS Claimant:Mr Adam Hatch Respondent:Gloucestershire County Council Heard at:Exeter by Cloud Video Platform on 25 and 26 June 2025 Before: Employment Judge Elizabeth Gibson Representation: Claimant:In person Respondent:Ms Amy Rumble of Counsel RESERVED JUDGMENT ON LIABILITY 1. The Claimant's claim for unfair dismissal is well-founded. The Claimant was unfairly dismissed by the Respondent. 2. The Tribunal will determine remedies in respect of the successful claim at a further hearing on 4 and 5 December 2025. REASONS Introduction 1. By way of background, Mr Hatch worked as a firefighter for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service ("GFRS") from 22 March 2004 to 21 February 2024. 2. He was summarily dismissed for gross misconduct by GFRS, which is a part of Gloucestershire County Council following a disciplinary process consisting of the three stages – an investigation, a disciplinary hearing and an appeal. Case No: 6002013/2024 2 3. The Claimant claims he was unfairly dismissed and is seeking reinstatement. The Respondent denies the Claimant's claim. 4. The Claimant has largely been out of work since his dismissal. 5. The hearing of the Claimant's claims took place over two days, 26 and 27 June 2025, on a Cloud Video Platform. 6. Mr Hatch appeared in person and was supported by his friend Mike Ynell. The Respondent was represented by Ms Amy Rumble of Counsel. Procedure and Evidence 7. The Claimant gave evidence himself and called one further witness, Naomi Purvis, a former colleague Mr Hatch worked with for nearly five years. Three witnesses gave evidence for the Respondent, James Waldron a GFRS Watch Manager; who was the Claimant's manager and who conducted the investigation into the alleged gross misconduct; Mike Hammond, GFRS Head of Logistics and Resources who conducted the disciplinary hearing; and Nathaniel Hooton Deputy Chief Fire Off…