CHIPPENHAM Town Council’s chief executive Sue Wilthew is stepping down after six years at the helm due to health reasons.

The 55-year-old will leave her role at the town council at the end of December after she believes she won’t be able to give her all to the town as in the past after being diagnosed with diabetes.

She said: “I want to make it absolutely clear that my relationship with the Town Council has never been better and that I believe I am leaving the Town Council and Chippenham in an upward moving aspirational state ripe for the next chief executive to continue to take forward.

“I have had a bit of a wakeup call regarding my health and work life balance.

“Basically the lack of life due to my total commitment to work was endangering my long term health.

“So for someone who normally likes to strategically plan all future actions and analyse all risks to make the best possible business decision, I for once decided to adopt the ripping off the sticking plaster as fast as possible approach to minimise the pain, and jump.

“Because leaving Chippenham Town Council is going to be very painful for me.”

Mrs Wilthew is now looking to take up a consultancy role in the parish and town sector having previously worked as chief executive at Frome Town Council.

She has lived in Semington for two years with her husband of 34 years, Paul, and they have two sons together, 25-year-old Michael and 22-year-old Stephen.

Leader of Chippenham Town Council, Councillor Desna Allen, said: “Whilst on a personal and professional level, both I and the Town Council are reluctantly accepting that this is the right decision for Sue, I am totally at ease with the fact that she will be leaving Chippenham Town Council, modernised, and equipped to face the future challenges that devolution, in particular, will bring.

“She has been an inspirational chief executive and will be, as they say, a hard act to follow.”