Kingston Council has escaped forking out an estimated £1m in redundancy payouts to workers after a careers service was axed just days after being awarded a contract.

Six London councils had been locked in a two year long legal battle over who was responsible for the statutory pay of more than 80 ex-Connexions employees.

But a seven day employment tribunal last month found that it was the Centre for British Teachers’ Education Trust (CfBT) that would be held accountable.

It will now have to pay the workers of the former employment and relationship advice service for young and vulnerable teenagers.

Marian Freedman, who worked at the old Connexions shop in Kingston as an advisor, said: "We have waited two years to get here. It is a long time to wait.

"There has been hardship amongst a few of my colleagues. None of us are wealthy.

“We did not know who was going to pay us. I think Kingston Council is very relieved.

"I don’t think it is over – that’s the problem. It won’t be over until people have got their money.

"We are not fighting for anything beyond what would be expected. We are not fighting for a payoff. It is an entitlement."

The Connexions partnership on behalf of Kingston, Sutton, Richmond, Croydon and Merton started in 2001, but the Government announced it would cut funding from 2012 and return careers advice to schools.

The original Connexions contract between councils and CfBT was worth £5.2m before it was axed in April 2011, days after being awarded.

The cut sparked the legal row.

The old Kingston Connexions shop stood in Argyll House in Brook Street.

Richard Birkett, commercial director at CfBT Education Trust, said: “We are naturally extremely disappointed with this judgment.

"The tribunal did not agree with us and we will now of course ensure that staff affected by this dispute are properly recompensed with redundancy payment."