UNION officials have welcomed plans for an inquiry into the way Bury council handled teacher Anthony McNally's suspension which went on for almost nine years.

Mr McNally was first suspended from his post at Woodhey High, Ramsbottom, in March, 1995, after a pupil made an allegation of "inappropriate touching".

The legal battle, which included rulings by two Education Secretaries, a judicial review and a high court appeal hearing, is estimated to have cost the council £1m.

It ended only last month, when Mr McNally struck a deal with the local education authority that allowed him to retire.

The huge cost of the legal wrangle had been criticised by Liberal Democrats on the Labour-led council.

And the announcement of the council's plans for an inquiry has been welcomed by officials from Mr McNally's union, the NAS/UWT.

Astonishing

A union spokesman said: "We have consistently called for measures to reduce the length of time teachers are suspended from work while allegations are investigated, especially when some cases stretch out for an astonishing number of years.

"It is an extremely stressful and traumatic process for the accused teachers and their families, particularly as 97 per cent of allegations turn out to false, malicious or exaggerated. In addition, it raises serious questions about whether this is an effective use of public money."

Meanwhile, financial chiefs at the Audit Commission have also confirmed they are to demand a breakdown of costs involved.

Although the commission has no plans to launch an immediate investigation into the council's spending in this area, it says it may review its position if a challenge is received from a member of the public.

Full details of the council's own review have yet to be finalised.

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