'Bold leader' Robin Porter steps down from Luton Borough Council
A council chief executive has announced he is to step down after six years in the role, citing personal difficulties.Robin Porter was officially appointed to the role at Luton Borough Council in May 2019."I make this announcement with the deepest regret, but also with absolute confidence that it's the right decision for my family, for me and for the council," he said."For some time I've been dealing with a difficult situation in my private life because of the serious and ongoing illness of my wife."
Mr Porter, who will leave in three months' time, continued: "I now find myself in a position where I must either compromise on the care and attention I can provide to my wife and son, or on how effectively I perform my role for the council. "Clearly neither of these options is tenable. With the scale of agenda that's in place and the level of ambition we hold, I don't believe it would be right to have a chief executive who can't commit 100% to achieving it."He said it had been "the honour of my life to serve this brilliant organisation and our amazing town".Hazel Simmons, Labour leader of the council, said it had been "a pleasure" to work alongside Mr Porter."His bold leadership, particularly around the Luton 2040 vision, has helped position Luton as a trailblazer in driving inclusive growth and tackling inequalities," she said."I will be eternally grateful for his work in steering the organisation through a global pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis, and sustained financial pressures on our services. "His legacy will leave the organisation much better equipped to face these types of challenges in the future."
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