Three senior Cornwall Council officers resign in a week

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 15:38 · Archive

Cornwall Council's chief finance officer Annabel Scholes has resigned, the third senior officer to quit in just over a week.

Annabel Scholes, Cornwall Council's chief operating and finance officer, has resigned at the end of a week that saw two other senior officers leave. Chief executive Kate Kennally quit her post, and Rachael Rother, the service director for people commissioning, also resigned. Scholes had held the role for six months at a salary of up to £165,000.

The council's Liberal Democrat leader Leigh Frost said all three departures were due to personal reasons. He acknowledged the situation is difficult but sought to reassure staff and the public. "I can't pretend that it's no problem at all," Frost said. "However, we've had Andy Keeling come in as the interim deputy chief executive and he's doing a really good job."

Frost argued that the council's leadership team remains intact and capable. "The organisation doesn't stand or fall on one person," he said. "It takes a bigger team to deliver and that team is there. Whilst it is a pretty hefty bump in the road, it is only a bump." Scholes is the third senior officer to depart in just over a week.

How it is being reported

• Yet ANOTHER senior officer at Cornwall Council quits - the third in just over a weekIt comes at the end of a week that also saw chief executive officer Kate Kennally resign her post.Falmouth Packet · 16 Oct, 14:58
• Yet another Cornwall Council senior officer quitsThe chief finance officer has resigned just days after the chief executive quit. We asked the council leader if there's a crisis at the top - 'I can't pretend that it's no problem at all'.CornwallLive · 16 Oct, 14:53

In this story: Cornwall Council · Annabel Scholes · Kate Kennally · Leigh Frost · Rachael Rother · Andy Keeling

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