A senior Bournemouth council officer has denied claims she coaxed colleagues to complain about the former finance director, an employment tribunal has heard.

Tanya Coulter rebuffed the idea she was at "the centre of the wheel" as she tried to encourage co-workers to come forward, during cross-examination by Richard O'Dair, representing Liz Wilkinson.

Ms Wilkinson was suspended from Bournemouth Borough Council last October amid claims she bullied staff.

She resigned her post in January.

Mr O'Dair said: "You were seeking out for people to complain about the claimant. You approached them, you asked them to draw up complaints."

In her witness statement, Ms Coulter claimed Ms Wilkinson had stormed into the office of her personal assistant, Rob Adams, "ranting, raving and swearing" about three people following a conversation with executive director Jane Portman in relation to Ms Wilkinson's staff and her role.

But Ms Coulter, the authority's monitoring officer, did not speak to the claimant about her alleged behaviour at the time, the tribunal heard.

"You were not concerned enough to go and see any of them and find out what happened. This is a very serious matter isn't it?" Mr O'Dair asked. "It was something that required to be address didn't it but you didn't address it did you?

"It was your duty to raise this matter. If what Mr Adams said was true there was a corporate risk this would happen again.

"You made no note of the matter did you? That's because you're deliberately exaggerating what Mr Adams said for the purpose of this case."

Ms Coulter responded: "Part of the reason was when I had raised something the previous year it hadn't gone down well. I was concerned about raising issues because I was concerned about the response I would get.

"At the time I thought I'll manage it by just doing my job. I was anxious to raise things with the claimant because I'd seen the way she'd reacted to other people who have."

Ms Coulter claimed people's relationships with Ms Wilkinson came to a head in early 2014 when the ongoing premium payments projects was reaching a crucial point.

The project was aimed to deal with payments to employees for working antisocial hours and has still yet to be resolved.

It led to the suspension of Alan Hyde, the former strategic head of human resources who was paid "a significant sum" for his "inconsistent suspension", the tribunal heard.

The issue resulted in Ms Wilkinson contesting legal advice.

The hearing continues.