A COUNCIL will have no chief executive from next week and may not even select another after its current boss leaves tomorrow.

Mike Chambers said Hyndburn Council is contemplating operating without one because it is too busy to look for another.

The loss of Mr Chambers, 46, who handed in his notice at the beginning of April, leaves Hyndburn in a unique position as the only council in East Lancashire not to have a chief executive.

The departure is a double blow for the council who will also have to face the departure of his deputy Dan Sherry at the end of August.

Mr Sherry's replacement Joe McIntyre, of Capita, in Carlisle, who will start as Chief Finance Officer in the middle of July, previously worked for Cumbria County Council.

The loss of the two chief officers follows reports in November last year that the council wanted to axe senior management roles to save money.

Mr Sherry and the council's works manager Peter Clog said they would retire because they did not want positions in the revised structure. These two roles will save the council more than £60,000.

But Mr Chambers denied that the shake-up was connected with his decision to leave. He said his move was purely due to his desire to work in a metropolitan district and that he had grabbed the opportunity when it arose. Councillors will meet tonight to discuss a range of options including sharing the duties among other senior posts.

Mr Chambers, who is married with two children, said: "There is a meeting on Thursdaythis evening that is closed to the public because it will be discussing people's salaries, which I am hoping will decide a way forward.

"They are looking at a variety of options including combining the duties with other senior posts perhaps for an experimental period or advertising the post and appointing another chief executive."

The council's new leader, Coun Peter Britcliffe, said: "Obviously there are some very important months ahead for Hyndburn Council and I can't possibly predict the outcome of the meeting."