Council sues former chief for ?1m

A local authority is suing its former top executive for more than ?1m, claiming she concealed her depressive illness when she applied for the job. Cheltenham borough council accuses Christine Laird of "fraudulent or negligent misrepresentation" in concealing details of her medical history. Laird secured the managing director's job in February 2002, but was absent on full pay from June 2004 and left in 2005. Her time at the council was marked by a series of bitter disputes with the authority and its...