Consultant at merger leak council resigns

Craven District Council said Susan Goodhall, executive director for resources, left her job "by mutual consent". It is understood Ms Goodhall was being employed as a consultant and not as a council employee.

She started in September 2008 and, it is thought, had eight months left to run on an 18-month agreement made with the council last year.

Ms Goodhall left the authority on Wednesday, a week after her email correspondence with council leader Christopher Knowles-Fitton revealed that she believed talks were taking place over a merger with Harrogate Borough Council.

In the discussion, from October last year, she claimed the move was being considered due to the dire financial situation at Craven and could result in significant job losses and "death by a thousand cuts" for the authority.

The claims were denied by Craven chief executive Paul Shevlin, who said there were no plans for a merger.

The authority has praised her efforts turning around their struggling finances, stating that she "completely overhauled Financial Services" and led negotiations over the move to new offices Belle Vue Mills.

Coun Knowles-Fitton, said: "In taking on a very difficult role she went beyond what could reasonably been expected of her and spent whatever time was required to get us out of a near disastrous situation."