A COUNCIL is today looking for a new boss having spent almost £19,000 recruiting the last one who has now left after seven months in the job.Jan Ormondroyd was appointed chief executive of Suffolk Coastal Council in May last year and started work in September.

A COUNCIL is today looking for a new boss having spent almost £19,000 recruiting the last one who has now left after seven months in the job.

Jan Ormondroyd was appointed chief executive of Suffolk Coastal Council in May last year and started work in September.

Now she's stunned councillors and colleagues at the offices in Melton by deciding to move to another job.

She is to become deputy chief executive of Hull City Council - nationally recognised as one of the worst local authorities in the country.

The cost of recruiting Mrs Ormondroyd was £10,752 for advertising, £5,733 for help in the recruitment process from the East of England Regional Assembly and £2,500 miscellaneous costs including expenses for candidates, hire of interview room and a promotional recruitment booklet.

Suffolk Coastal District Council will now have to spend a similar amount in finding a replacement.

Ray Herring, council leader, said: "I have no doubts that our decision to appoint Jan as our chief executive was the right one and I am disappointed that we are going to lose her very valuable contribution after such a short time here. I am sure that both officers and members would wish her stay with us had been longer."

Mrs Ormondroyd said she could not miss the opportunity of moving to Humberside.

She said: "I will be sad to leave Suffolk Coastal at a time when we are beginning to make significant inroads into creating a high-performance culture.

"Working at Hull as the deputy chief executive promises to be an even more challenging and hopefully rewarding task.

"Hull has been highlighted as being in need of significant improvements and I hope to play a major part in helping turn that council around."

Before coming to Suffolk Coastal, Mrs Ormondroyd had worked in the office of the deputy prime minister and before that held senior local government posts in the north of England.

Mr Herring added: "Hull is not only a much larger local authority with responsibility for all the city's services, but it is also officially much in need of improvement and so offers major challenges that I am sure Jan can help address."