A TOWN Hall boss who accepted tickets to a Premiership football match from a firm involved in a controversial plan to develop Bolton Market Hall said his trip to the match was "not a jolly".

Stuart Knight, Assistant Director of Central Services, told a Manchester employment tribunal that he went to watch Wanderers match against Chelsea in London as part of his work duties.

Mr Knight said: "People perceive this trip as a 'jolly' going to a football match, but I do not support Chelsea or Bolton Wanderers, and going to London on a Saturday was not jolly. It was work." Bernard Summers, Bolton Council's former head of agency and development in the Corporate Services department, has claimed at the tribunal that he was victimised after he reported Mr Knight to council chiefs.

He accused him of breaching Bolton Council's code of conduct by accepting the match tickets.

Mr Summers, who later resigned, is claiming constructive dismissal.

But giving evidence yesterday, Mr Knight dismissed the harassment claim and told the tribunal: "I am beyond petty vendettas, which this seems to be."

Mr Knight admitted that he also submited expenses for the soccer trip, but told the hearing that he later realised that it was an "error of judgement".

Mr Knight was later forced to reimburse the train fares and felt that he had been correctly disciplined over the matter.

But a verbal warning given to Mr Knight by his boss Peter Wilson was dismissed as a "gentleman's agreement" by Mr Summers' solicitor Jason Searle, who said he found the disciplinary procedure "extraordinary".

Shortly after Mr Summers lodged his complaint over the match tickets, an investigation was launched into his own conduct over missing invoices, the alleged surveillance of a colleague and failure to recover fees.

Mr Knight told the tribunal he believed Mr Summers had lodged the harassment complaint as a smokescreen and said he had previously been forced to step in over Mr Summers' conduct.

Mr Searle asked Mr Knight for notes relating to the incidents, but none could be produced at the tribunal.

Mr Knight told the hearing that Mr Summers had also ignored a Health and Safety issue relating to a dangerous car park barrier, and had celebrated when a council premises acquisition failed.

He said Mr Summers was also barred from a management initiative for "antipathy towards the initiative, and rudeness to a consultant". Mr Knight said: "Sometimes people tried to get him into trouble but sometimes it was of his own making."

The tribunal was told that Mr Knight only learned that Mr Summers had reported him when the tribunal proceedings started.

The tribunal was adjourned and its findings will be released at a later date.