THE Chief Executive of Rossendale Council has resigned following a report which branded the council the worst of its kind in the country.

Steven Hartley's resignation begins a radical shake-up at the council which was ranked 237 out of 237 in a draft report into an inspection by the Audit Commission earlier this month.

He has been considering another job offer since before the report was issued.

The report recommended "an immediate and radical overhaul of senior management" with a new senior management team in place to be in place by 2003. Today council leader Coun Graham Pearson said Mr Hartley's resignation had been officially received and accepted and that a new chief executive would be in place by January.

Chief executive for the past 20 years, Mr Hartley has been offered the position of project director in the primary health care trusts in Burnley Pendle and Rossendale, Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley and Blackburn. He has yet to accept the job offer.

The damning report found that key decisions were taken with little involvement of most councillors and that there was a poor relationship between council leaders and officers.

Despite being one of the highest spending local authorities in the country the report said other councils with less money delivered better services than Rossendale.

The auditor found that housing repairs took too long, rent collection was below the average and many leisure facilities were in a poor state of repairs.

Coun Pearson has called for a new start for the council following the report.