Bradford & District | Archive | 2000 | February | 26
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Saturday 26th Feb 2000.
Leading local councillor Andy Mudd has resigned as boss of Keighley's £18.7 million Single Regeneration Budget.
He says fulfilling his duties as chairman of the SRB Partnership Board has become increasingly difficult since he took up a job in Manchester.
He also fears a conflict of interest with his new Bradford council post as head of a scrutiny committee probing external affairs.
Cllr Mudd, pictured, is being replaced as partnership board chief by fellow Labour councillor Lynne Joyce, who represents Keighley's south ward.
Cllr Mudd has been board chairman since Keighley began its seven-year SRB programme in 1996, and was instrumental in the campaign to bring regeneration cash to the town.
He says: "It's been an honour to have been involved in the SRB. I'm proud of Keighley for doing it. I've spent a lot of time thinking about this decision. Being there right at the beginning, it would have been nice to see it through to the end."
Keighley man Cllr Mudd, who was formerly a housing advice worker, last year took up a new post in Manchester with the Association for Public Service Excellence.
He travels the UK giving advice on a range of issues to some of the country's 255 local authorities.
Cllr Mudd says: "Over the past few months pressure of work has made it quite difficult to put the time in that I think SRB work needs."
Cllr Mudd was also advised by Labour colleagues on Bradford council that chairing both the external scrutiny committee and SRB board could lead to a conflict of interest.
The scrutiny committee is responsible for investigating outside organisations which have a relationship with the council.
Keighley SRB is on the list for possible scrutiny, alongside parish councils, health agencies, government departments, public utilities and the media.
Cllr Mudd says that Cllr Joyce will be an excellent SRB chairman, and he will be available to help her as she settles in to the post.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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