A TRIBUNAL that will determine if Bury Hospice’s former chief executive was unfairly dismissed has been postponed.

In July, the Bury Times reported that Jacqui Comber had launched a bid for compensation after claiming she had been sacked unfairly.

A hearing was due to begin at Manchester Employment Tribunal on November 11.

A spokesman for Manchester Employment Tribunal said this week: “The case has been relisted to be heard at the tribunal on January 3, 4 and 5.”

The hospice and Ms Comber’s legal representatives have not commented on the reasons behind the delay. Some sources have speculated that the two sides could seek an out-of-court settlement.

However, a well-placed source said that talks have not been going on about any such settlement.

The source added: “This is a complex case with a lot of paperwork involved. The two sets of lawyers have a lot of information to go through, and that process is ongoing.”

Ms Comber was suspended in February amid complaints about her leadership and she was then sacked in March.

In February, new hospice chiefs launched a probe into why the Rochdale Old Road facility was £600,000 in the red, and that investigation concluded in July.

Its findings did not mention Ms Comber by name as the authors were aware of the pending tribunal. The tribunal will consider whether Ms Comber should be awarded the salary that she would have earned had she not been dismissed by the hospice.

Under employment law, the maximum compensation she could be awarded is £72,400.