ROSSENDALE Council leader Graham Pearson today denied claims that the authority's chief executive is leaving his post.

A council source said chief executive Steven Hartley had been offered a job elsewhere, but Council leader Coun Graham Pearson said: "As far as I am concerned he has not tendered his notice to me." Yesterday, the council received a copy of the draft report from the audit commission which has spent months examining the way Rossendale Council is run.

Coun Pearson said he could not comment on specifics but did say: "I was not surprised by the contents or the recommendations -- not in the least." The council now has three weeks' to consider the report and check any factual errors before it is published in full in mid-July.

Coun Pearson said: "There are recommendations in there which will benefit Rossendale. If we don't do them there will be problems.

"I think in the next 12 months we will be starting on our way back."