End of an era for council boss
DAVID Burnip, chief executive at Forest Heath District Council, will be stepping down from his post later this month.
The former council solicitor, who rose to the highest non-elected post at the Mildenhall-based authority, announced yesterday that he had decided not to apply for the new post of joint chief executive of Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury councils.
The closing date for applications was Tuesday, with an appointment due to be confirmed by meetings of both councils on February 15.
Geoff Rivers, chief executive at the Bury St Edmunds-based St Edmundsbury Borough Council, has not applied for the post either.
In a joint statement, Mr Burnip and Mr Rivers said: “Sharing services at all levels is essential for both councils because the financial pressures are just too great for either to sustain alone. Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury are at a watershed and we have decided that it is in the best interests of both organisations if they have the opportunity to appoint a new chief executive.”
Mr Burnip has been at Forest Heath for 30 years and during his years as chief executive presided over some of the most controversial issues in the council’s history, including the introduction of parking charges in Newmarket and the proposal to build 1,200 new homes at Hatchfield Farm in Fordham Road.
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