Executive Director leaves Council

Rochdale Council Executive Terry Piggott.

Rochdale Council’s Executive Director for children, young people, schools and families is to leave the authority this month to take up a one-year secondment with the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta).

Terry Piggott, 59, has been at the council for nine years, firstly as Director of Education and for the last five years as Director of Children’s Services.

Becta is the government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning. Mr Piggott is to be their Strategic Director for Children’s Services.

Mr Piggott said: “I’m delighted to be taking on this national role in the year before I retire. Technology has an increasingly important role in helping children learn, including helping keep them safe and in helping local government run its services more efficiently.

"I will miss Rochdale a great deal – it’s been a privilege to work with so many highly committed colleagues over the last nine years.”

The Council says it has plans to appoint a new Director of Children’s Services to start early next year. Until then, the current Head of Children’s Social Care, Steve Titcombe will take on the role.

Mr Titcombe was due to retire in the autumn but is postponing his retirement until the end of the year to cover the interim period before a successor for Mr Piggott is appointed.

Roger Ellis, Chief Executive of Rochdale Council, said: “Terry was planning to retire in 2010 so we were already preparing to recruit his successor. He has led a remarkable transformation of education and children’s services in our borough which will bring long-lasting benefits to our whole population. I wish him all the very best in the challenge of his new national role, having thoroughly enjoyed working with him for the past nine years.”