A council worker has brought a discrimination claim after losing out on a pension estimated at £350,000 when he was made redundant just three days before turning 55.

Lee Henley, now 57, had spent 35 years working for Thurrock Council in Essex when he was told the authority’s restructuring plans would result in his redundancy.

Mr Henley originally understood that his employment would continue beyond his 55th birthday, which would have made him eligible to receive his full accrued pension.

However, while he was on holiday, the redundancy timetable was changed. His final day was brought forward by three days, leaving him short of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

He later took the matter to an employment tribunal, arguing that the decision amounted to age discrimination. An employment judge dismissed his claim.

Mr Henley joined Thurrock Council in 1989 and his employment ended on July 22, 2024. During his 35 years with the authority, he maintained what was described as an “exemplary attendance record”.

By 2022, he had risen to become Head of Information Management. However, the council was facing “significant financial difficulty” and at the time carried the highest level of debt of any local authority in England.

The unitary authority was effectively declared bankrupt in 2022, with its peak debt reportedly reaching £1.5billion. A recovery plan was introduced because the council needed to make substantial savings.

In October 2023, PwC began reviewing the council’s operations and recommended wide-ranging changes across several departments.

One proposal was to close the Information Management department, where Mr Henley worked, and make two employees redundant. The move was expected to save £109,000.

Overall, the restructuring was expected to lead to 37 redundancies across the council, with the changes scheduled to take place between February and April 2024.

Mr Henley’s early-retirement lump sum was estimated at £357,858.85.

That was because employees made redundant after reaching 55 can receive their full accrued pension immediately, alongside a redundancy payment.

Workers made redundant before their 55th birthday do not receive that benefit. Instead, they must wait until their normal retirement age—10 or more years later—to receive an equivalent pension.

Mr Henley met Head of Service Sarah Hirt, and they discussed setting his notice period to end on July 28. That would have kept him employed beyond his 55th birthday and allowed him to qualify for his full pension.

The later date would have followed a 45-day consultation period, while a 30-day process would have meant his employment ended before his birthday.

He subsequently met monitoring officer and executive director of corporate services Daniel Fenwick to discuss the redundancies, telling him that he would prefer to accept redundancy rather than remain in his post.

When Mr Henley went on holiday in March 2024, he believed his final day would fall after his birthday, meaning he expected to receive his full pension.

During his absence Ms Hirt had two meetings with Mr Fenwick to discuss the finer details of the redundancies.

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It was agreed there would be fewer than 100 employees made redundant – meaning the consultation period reduced from 45 days to 30 days and therefore Mr Henley’s last day would be before his 55th birthday.

Mr Fenwick emailed Ms Hirt saying: ‘When is his birthday? We don’t want this to look contrived either way in terms of EDT [Effective Date of Termination].’

Mr Fenwick accepted the timing was ‘awkward’.

Ms Hirt said: ‘I hope you are sitting down, the strain alone for LH [Lee Henley] post is £359K plus redundancy cost at £42,603 total cost is £401,603.’

On Mr Henley’s first day back from his holiday, he had a meeting with Ms Hirt where he was told his consultation period was now likely to last for 30 days rather than 45 days.

On April 3, he emailed Ms Hirt telling her of the ‘significant impact’ the change would have on him and referenced his long service but was told accessing his pension was not an appropriate reason to extend his consultation period.

On April 17, Mr Henley was signed off sick with stress and anxiety and was told the consultation period would not be extended.

He later received his notice of dismissal and remained on sick leave until the end of his employment on July 22 – three days before his 55th birthday.

Internal vacancies were advertised whilst he was off and he was encouraged to apply for another role, however, he said it was not right for him.

He eventually appealed his redundancy – but it was dismissed.

Mr Henley unsuccessfully brought claims of direct and indirect age discrimination to an employment tribunal in east London.

Employment Judge Bruce Gardiner said: ‘I accept that this was Mr Fenwick showing his awareness that the last day of [Mr Henley’s] employment was likely to be close to his 55th birthday, with significant implications both for [Mr Henley] and for [Thurrock Council].

‘He wanted to avoid the suggestion that the process had been manipulated so as to achieve a particular outcome – either in [Mr Henley] or [Thurrock Council’s] favour.

‘The decision to reduce the consultation period from 45 days to 30 days was not an act of age discrimination.

‘[Mr Henley] has not proved facts from which I could conclude in the absence of a non-discriminatory explanation that this decision could have been influenced by [Mr Henley’s] age, apart from the fact that Mrs Hirt knew of [Mr Henley’s] age.

‘It was a decision that applied to all redundancy exercises that were instigated at the same time as the process involving Information Management.’ 

Judge Gardiner added there was ‘no evidence’ any objection was raised to the reduction in days from 45 to 30 by the recognised trade unions who were closely involved with redundancy processes.

He said: ‘Undertaking this exercise, it is clear that had I found that there was some age discrimination in the decisions that were made so as to dismiss [Mr Henley] before his 55th birthday, it would have been justified.

‘[Mr Henley] had no entitlement to an enhanced pension from the age of 55.

‘If [Mr Henley] received an enhanced pension, the cost to [Thurrock Council] would have reduced the sums available to fund other frontline services by over £350,000.’

Megyn Kelly has faced a wave of criticism from celebrities after making disparaging comments about Christina Applegate’s multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.

Applegate, 54, stunned fans this week when she said her doctor told her she does not have MS, despite experiencing debilitating symptoms for more than five years.

The actress announced her diagnosis in the summer of 2021. On a new episode of her Messy podcast, she revealed: “You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I’m better. I haven’t gotten better.

“If anything, I’ve gotten worse. So I’m back at square one where I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

SiriusXM host Kelly addressed the revelation on The Megyn Kelly Show, accusing Applegate of taking her followers on “a wild goose chase.”

“I cannot keep up, you guys,” Kelly said. “She has no idea what she actually has, and I just think this is like the problem with celebrities wanting to lean into their health problems, and ‘now I will be the face of MS.’”

She continued: “She’s crying now because I guess she no longer gets to be the face of this disease and, as she says, she’s back to square one. She’s made like a cottage industry of talking about her MS.”

Kelly’s comments prompted outrage online. Janice Dean, 56, a former Fox News colleague who has MS, branded the commentator a “mean girl” in a strongly worded post on X.

Dean began the post: “I’ve kept my mouth shut for a long time about #meangirl@megynkelly,” before claiming Kelly “ghosted me after she endorsed@andrewcuomo for mayor and I told her she broke my heart.”

She added: “Her comments about @1capplegate are disgusting. Having #MS for over 20 years, she knows how long it took for doctors to diagnose me.”

“I think Christina is brave for telling the truth, and I’m grateful she became a voice for so many of us. I will have much more to say about this when I’m well enough. I’ve been sick for several weeks, in and out of the hospital, but when I’m well enough I will comment more.”

Conservative political commentator Eric Bolling defended Kelly, writing: “Janice, I worked with both of you at Fox. I saw firsthand how Megyn backed you and helped elevate your career.

“Watching you publicly trash her now and slap ‘#meangirl’ on it is f*****g disgraceful.”

He continued: “You can disagree with her without turning a friendship into ammunition for a public pile-on. You should be ashamed of this. @megynkellyproud to call you my friend. I have your back.”

Representatives for Kelly and Applegate declined to comment when contacted by The Daily Mail. A representative for Janice Dean has also been contacted.

Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert also criticized Kelly on social media.

Earlier this year, Kelly criticized Gilbert for promoting her lifestyle brand on social media after the actress faced child sex abuse charges, which were dismissed in October 2026.

In an Instagram post, Gilbert wrote: “At the risk of you using your platform to lash out at ME now… AGAIN… I just want to ask that you think about one thing—what if you found yourself suffering from some horrible disease?

‘And that disease was diagnosed. And that diagnosis was devastating, but you chose to live your life, fight, bring attention to that disease and advocate for others with that disease. Only to find out, YEARS later, that the diagnosis was wrong. Now you are back at square one. 

‘Still battling the same debilitating, horrible symptoms while now having to put your body through a myriad of new, painful tests to figure out why you are so horribly sick. I just want you to imagine that for one moment. Imagine what that might feel like for you. 

‘Or how you might feel if it happened to one of your children or your spouse or someone you cared deeply about. I just sometimes wish that maybe you’d take a moment to dig deep in your soul and find a modicum of empathy, before you speak. Please feel free to go after me now. 

‘Actually, I’d prefer that, than you attack someone who, along with those who love her, are truly suffering. @christinaapplegate @megynkelly @megynkelly @amevipix #empathy #compassion #takeabreath.’

The View hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sara Haines also lambasted Kelly, with the Ghost star saying: ‘So, let me ask you, ma’am, you think Christina wanted to have MS so she could have a good time? Are you crazy?’

Haines added: ‘Who wants to be the face of MS? Talk about kicking someone when they’re down. She got a diagnosis and wanted to help other people.’ 

The social media furor comes days after Applegate’s tearful misdiagnosis reveal. 

Speaking of the moment her doctor told her of her misdiagnosis, a tearful Applegate, who was recently hospitalized, said: ‘She came into my room and said, “Congratulations, you don’t have MS”.

‘I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.

MS is a condition in which the immune system attacks the body and causes nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord.

It is an incurable, lifelong condition. Symptoms can be mild in some, and in others more extreme causing severe disability.

Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty walking, vision problems, bladder problems, numbness or tingling, muscle stiffness and spasms, problems with balance and co-ordination, and problems with thinking, learning and planning.

Applegate, who has relied on a wheelchair and cane for years, and been forced to step away from her stellar acting career, said: ‘I’ve gone through a great depression because of it. 

‘But I lost everything. I lost my job. I lost – I’m sorry. What do you say to someone who’s been living with this for six years – God, I’m so sorry – because it stopped my life. 

‘I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor’s office. I can’t walk from the car to the room. I’m still in this. Nothing magical happened when she said, “You don’t have MS.” Nothing magical happened.

‘It’s weird because I feel like I let everybody down, It’s this weird feeling because I became this – you and I, the poster children for MS. 

‘And everything I was doing. I had a reason. I had a f***ing reason as to why my day sucked every day. 

‘And now I don’t have a reason and it’s very unnerving and it’s very confusing for me.’

Applegate added the misdiagnosis is a ‘mindf**k’ and that she is still in ‘a state of shock’ as she seeks answers over the true nature of her illness. 

Earlier in February, Applegate shared that she is mainly confined to her bed due to her MS battle.

During an interview with People at the time, the star explained how the pain has largely kept her in bed.

However, she will make the effort to leave her bedroom for her teenage daughter Sadie, such as taking her to school.

‘I want to take her; it’s my favorite thing to do. It’s the only time we have together by ourselves,’ the actress told the outlet.

‘I tell myself, “Just get her there safely and get home so you can get back into bed.” And that’s what I do.’

Applegate further expressed: ‘My life isn’t wrapped up with a bow. People’s lives, sorry for lack of a better term, f***ing suck sometimes. So I’m being as honest and raw as I possibly can.’

‘I don’t have patience for bulls*** any more, for things that are meaningless or merely “extra.”‘

Applegate shared the news of her MS diagnosis on social media in August 2021.

And in 2022 she posted a photo of her canes, and said needing help with walking is her ‘new normal.’

During an episode of her MeSsy podcast last year, the actress revealed that she had been hospitalized multiple times amid her MS battle. 

‘For three years since I was diagnosed, I’ve been in the hospital upwards of 30 times,’ she told her co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who is also battling the same disease.

‘That is unimaginable, okay? They’ve done every test known to man on me, put so much radiation into my body from CT scans to everything else.’

When it came to penning her memoir, which was released on March 3, Applegate previously shared that she made the decision to pen the book when she was ‘forced to slow down.’

Kristen Bell has offered a candid look at her marriage to Dax Shepard and the emotional reality of raising their daughters through the preteen and teenage years.

The Nobody Wants This star, 46, said the pressures of parenting and married life regularly leave her in tears during a new interview with Bustle magazine.

“It’s hard. Do not think because I am on your television that it is easy for me. It’s brutal. I cry weekly,” Bell said. She shares daughters Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11, with Shepard, 51.

She added that puberty can make parents feel isolated, saying, “Oftentimes when you’re in that cyclone of puberty, you could think, My kid is the only one doing this. And that is just simply not a fact.”

Bell and the Without a Paddle actor married in October 2013, four months after she proposed to him on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Bell also said she turns to Dr. Becky Kennedy and Lisa Damour, PhD, for guidance on how to discuss her personal experiences on social media.

“I’m a feeler,” Bell told Bustle, becoming emotional as she described herself. “I wish I wasn’t sometimes. But I also know it leads me to a lot of my creative process. And I think creativity is one of the most important things in the world.”

When it comes to sharing details about her daughters’ lives, Bell said she is constantly weighing “Kantianism and utilitarianism.”

“For the good of the people, we should share our dirty stories, we should share our shame, we should share our hardships. But for the good of the one? My main job in life is to protect those two,” she explained.

Bell said she and Shepard once felt comfortable posting “all the cute things” about their children when they were younger. As their daughters have grown, however, “the equation has changed.”

“There’s someone else in the mix, and you have to have enough self-awareness and consideration to consider that person. And that person is my daughter, so she’s No. 1,” Bell said.

Bell’s comments drew limited sympathy from some social media users, several of whom continued to criticize her remarks about the pressures of family life.

“Try doing it living between paychecks,” one person wrote. Another responded sarcastically, “Well she is the first woman to do it.”

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Other X users took a more understanding view. One wrote, “It’s not that difficult, in fact it’s very rewarding to have a family that loves you,” while another praised Shepard, saying, “Dax is a good dude! She’s got it easy!”

Bell previously discussed her parenting philosophy with People, revealing that she and Shepard follow a firm household rule: If they argue, they must reconcile where their children can see them.

“We always make up in front of them if anyone gets snarky or frustrated or fights, which we all do,” Bell said.

Meanwhile, Shepard, who hosts the weekly Armchair Expert podcast, previously told Luxury London that becoming a dad has had a dramatic impact on his mental health.

‘For me, personally, it’s helped me get over things that would have normally made me depressed,’ he said.

‘If I’d been working on a movie for two years and it didn’t perform well, I would be miserable for months. 

‘But now I think my kids have no idea I’m in a movie, they don’t care. 

‘They need to be fed and taken on a walk and have a bath.’

He added: ‘My primary identity now is “dad,” as opposed to “writer” or “director” or whatever. It’s been incredibly liberating.’

In the same interview, Bell shared she had some trepidation about becoming a mom in the beginning.

‘I wasn’t even sure that I wanted kids, which is shocking for me to say out loud now given how much I’m addicted to them,’ she admitted, adding: ‘I love them so much, even when I hate them, I love them.’