Chief of council resigns (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Chief of council resigns

Simon BirchSWINDON Council has been plunged into fresh crisis with the resignation of its chief executive, the Adver can exclusively reveal.

Secret papers show that Simon Birch, who has been chief executive for two years, is set to leave his post next Monday after asking to go.

His plea came after discussions about improvements at the 'weak' rated council with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The revelation comes ahead of tonight's full council meeting where a £10m package of cuts is expected to be approved to give a council tax rise of three per cent.

A council insider, who did not want to be named, said Mr Birch had clashed with the administration over the amount of money being put into improvements.

Last night Mr Birch and council leader Mike Bawden both declined to comment on the resignation.

Mr Birch took over as acting chief executive after the resignation of Paul Doherty in 2002. Mr Doherty was asked to consider leaving by the leader of the council after damning reports on the council's services.

During Mr Birch's reign the council has pulled itself up from a 'poor' to a 'weak' rated council but its social services department remains zero-rated and the director of social services is currently on leave.

A private and confidential report on the resignation, seen by the Adver, will go to a meeting of the special committee next Monday, which is expected to be Mr Birch's last day.

The report, which refers to the chief executive by employee number, says he approached the leader of the council in early February asking to leave.

"His decision to do this was informed by discussions with a representative of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister regarding the agenda for change during 2005," the report reads.

His resignation will cost the council nearly £150,000, with almost £100,000 of that sum coming from the early release of his pension.

Earlier this month Gavin Jones was promoted from director of cultural change to the new position of deputy chief executive with a pay rise of £22,000.

Coun Bawden did not want to comment on the resignation and was upset that the information had been made public.

"I find it quite deplorable that someone would break the confidentiality of private papers about an individual," he said.

Labour leader Coun David Nash said he could not comment on the situation while Lib Dem leader Coun Chris Shepherd wished Mr Birch well for the future.

"I would certainly wish him well," he said. "I think he has done a good job under very difficult circumstances."

Two years of hard work for town

When he took on the role Mr Birch told the Adver his hopes for the future.

"I would like to see the council moving forward more positively and in a year from now becoming an example of public service nationally," he said. "I think that Swindon is wonderful."

A month later he hit the headlines when he compared Swindon to a Polo, when he discussed the town centre regeneration plans. "Swindon is like a Polo mint at the moment.

"There's a big hole in the middle where we haven't got a quality town centre."

In September 2003 he insisted things were improving.

"I think there is a world of difference from a year ago when the council was in crisis. There's a lot of confidence now.

"All the best councils have a chief executive and leader who share a common vision and here it's true together with the leaders of the other political parties."

At the beginning of this month Mr Birch appeared in the Guardian newspaper to answer questions about the council's deal with Kent County Council on social services.

Asked whether the situation was embarrassing, he said: "It would have been if I'd been in charge when Swindon got into problems.

"I've been in the post for two years and I feel part of the solution."

High-paid job

SIMON Birch joined the council in August 2001 as director of environmental services, earning up to £77,000.

The town planner and surveyor was appointed acting chief executive after the resignation of Paul Doherty in July 2002.

In March 2003 Mr Birch was chosen from more than 70 candidates to take on the role permanently.

The council had placed a £3,000 half-page advertisement in the Guardian newspaper. The salary was advertised as £135,000, more than £25,000 more than Mr Doherty was earning and making Mr Birch the highest paid public servant in the south west.

Isabel Field