Cumbria County Council chief executive standing down
The chief executive of Cumbria County Council is to step down.
Gill Steward - who was appointed to the role in August - will leave the role at the end of this month.
Her deputy, John Readman, will take over on a temporary basis.
A spokesperson for the council said:
This departure comes after it was decided that Cumbria's current local government setup of the county council and six district councils is to be replaced in 2023 with two unitary authorities - one for the east and west of the county.
Some believe that the Government's decision was politically motivated, designed to consolidate Conservative power in the North West. This is the basis for a request for a Judicial Review - also described as a legal challenge - from the county council's cabinet, which is made up of a coalition of Labour and Liberal Democrat members.
The review has in turn been criticised by Conservative councillors, who believe the change to a two council county should go ahead without any barriers and who have concerns about the cost of the move.