AN awkward, not so say ridiculous, situation prevails at Blackburn town hall today - that of two men in charge.

Deputy chief executive Phil Watson has been appointed as boss of the newly independent Blackburn with Darwen Council.

But chief executive Gerald Davies, passed over for the new top post, remains in charge until the new-style authority comes into being next April.

Indeed, having in effect suffered the loss of his own job to a colleague, he must now carry on doing it for the next 10 months - with the upshot that the council has two chief executives for that time unless this absurdity is sorted out.

There should never have been this confusing and embarrassing interregnum.

For whatever reasons the council may have had for not selecting Mr Davies to be the new authority's chief executive - after seven years' service and much hard work fighting for Blackburn to get the unitary status that, ironically, has made him no longer wanted - it ought to have foreseen that possibility.

Had it done so, a more dignified and efficient changeover could have been arranged.

For though the council may have decided Mr Davies did not deserve the job, he did not deserve this clumsy and unkind hangover.

As it is, the council must now inelegantly set about mending the mess.

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