Councillor Loraine Morgan-Brinkhurst, Liberal Democrat co-Shadow Cabinet member for healthier communities and older people, has put the Council Leadership on the spot over the sudden resignation of the Chief Executive of B&NES PCT, announced this week.

Cllr Morgan-Brinkhurst said:

The merger of B&NES social services with the Primary Care Trust is one of the biggest structural changes facing the Council. This is a long process which is only part way through.

I am very concerned that we have only just lost the Council’s social services Director due to the merger and then, within three months of her leaving, we hear that we will be losing the other key officer in the local health service within the next six months.

“I am concerned about the uncertainty this may cause and I am not reassured by the answer I received from the Leader of Council.

The PCT Chief Executive, Rhona McDonald, steered us through this the beginning of this merger; we’re not there yet so we need a steady hand at the tiller – who knows what icebergs are ahead?