A FORMER council senior officer dismissed just before he was due a pension is set to gain the largest age discrimination payout in UK history.

John Wooster, 52, of St Winifred's Close, Chigwell, had worked at Tower Hamlets Council, in London, for 33 years having followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

But he was made redundant without warning in 2006, two days before Christmas, and just months before the 50th birthday that would have granted him pension payments.

He successfully took the council to a tribunal asking for more than £1million in compensation and has now won a final legal appeal instigated by Tower Hamlets.

Mr Wooster said: “I am absolutely delighted and thrilled. It has been an extremely difficult time to have to go through not one but two legal battles, but I have come through to the other side and I can now relax at last.

“The Council thought it could just get rid of me because it didn’t want to pay my pension. Instead of just admitting its wrongdoing, it arrogantly fought my claims – not once but twice. I hope that it now learns its lesson.”

Mr Wooster’s father Tom had worked for Tower Hamlets all his working life as a principal officer.

His grandfather, John Wooster, was Mayor of Poplar, and Wooster Gardens in Poplar, E14, is named after him.

Mr Wooster had also spent his whole working career with Tower Hamlets, from junior clerk to senior consultation officer.

His dismissal was condemned as age discrimination at Stratford Employment Tribunal.

The tribunal was told a senior member of staff at Tower Hamlets had said: “If he goes now we do save the pension.”

Mr Wooster's solicitor Helen Murphie, from Royds Solicitors said: “This is a triumph for Mr Wooster. This was a David and Goliath case but we always believed in his claim.”

A hearing to determine the exact amount of compensation is expected before the end of the year.

Tower Hamlets has said it will comment later today (September 11).