Arts Council England seeks £40,000 from Speech Debelle and legal team after tribunal loss

Council pursues legal costs after judges ruled musician Debelle did not face racial discrimination while working for it

Arts Council England is seeking legal costs of £40,000 from the Mercury prize winner Speech Debelle and her legal team after she lost an employment tribunal following claims she faced racial discrimination while working for the arts funding body.

Debelle, whose real name is Corynne Elliot, worked for ACE as a relationship manager in the organisation’s music team for three years, but left in September 2021, before eventually bringing a tribunal against ACE in 2023.