IT is almost a year since Rossendale Borough Council was named the worst local authority in the country after a disastrous Audit Commission report.

The beleaguered authority drafted interim chief executive James Gravenor in to sort things out. Nine months later the Valley troubleshooter is ready to hand over the reins and bid farewell.

CHARLOTTE BRADSHAW spoke to him about his hopes for the area's future...

JAMES Gravenor openly admits his role in Rossendale has been the most testing of his career.

He arrived fresh from a stint as interim director of finance at Cumbria Police to an authority in turmoil and under threat of a takeover from Whitehall if it did not shape up.

A disastrous report from the Audit Commission had condemned Rossendale Council to bottom place in a league table of 237 authorities in England and Wales.

The inspection team recommended nothing short of a radical overhaul of senior management but chief executive Stephen Hartley had already resigned to accept a new job in the health service, paving the way for the arrival of Mr Gravenor in the role.

The 52-year-old father of two said: "There was much to do. When I came here, the housing benefits backlog was in excess of 7,500 outstanding documents. It was taking far too long for people to have their claims dealt with. It was unacceptable.

"We worked through that and are now on top of it -- which will have made a big difference to people's lives."

Mr Gravenor also used his personal experience to set an improvement agenda for the authority.

He explained: "When I came for my interview there were two people on reception who could only deal with specific queries.

"Staff have now been trained to deal with all queries. The benefits will be emphasised with the new call centre which will involve staff being fully trained to deal with customer queries."

Thanks to the hard work of Mr Gravenor and his staff, Rossendale Council is no longer a target for a Whitehall takeover -- but there is still much work for new chief executive Owen Williams when he takes over the reins on May 13.

Mr Gravenor has put in regular 12-hour days in his role but said he will cherish his time in the Valley and take many fond memories with him.

He also took time to explain some difficult decisions made by the authority in the wake of the report -- but stressed the emphasis would now rest on decisions made through public consultation.

He said: "The decision to close Rossendale Museum was taken in haste because we didn't really have enough time to consider all the options but now we are in a position to do that -- and that is what will happen."

Mr Gravenor, who described the authority as "a lobster being boiled slowly", studied law at Kings College, London, and has already pinpointed some key areas for the future.

"Many children's play areas in the Valley are of an inferior standard and we will be looking at the possibility of closing some, to bring others up to a better standard.

"This is an emotive area and will attract a lot of concern. We will be working with the community to improve some of the play areas. I would love to see that when the inspectors come back again in September, they will recognise how much we have improved.

"I would love to come back and see how the staff have developed through training.

"Bacup's A, B and D Centre and Whitworth Pool are both excellent examples of how the community can pull together with some support from the council to run their own facilities and I hope this will continue with success.

"There will be some difficult decisions to make over the coming years but I am confident members will be able to do that."

For his own immediate future, Mr Gravenor said he was planning to wind down and spend some time with his wife, Barbara, by taking part in a three-month cycling expedition round the Islands of Britain.

"I like to work intensely for a certain period and then have a long break. I have lost a lot of my fitness while being at Rossendale but I will soon get it back when I start cycling again.

"I have really enjoyed my time at Rossendale. It's been very demanding and has taken a lot of my time but it has been very rewarding and particularly satisfying. Being in Rossendale is something I will never forget."