A NATIONAL search is under way for a new head of finance at Burnley Council after the current chief is set to retire after almost 40 years.

Nick Aves, 60, has worked at Burnley Town Hall since joining as a senior accountant in 1979.

He has worked his way up to be the man in charge of the council’s tightly controlled purse strings, but he will be letting go at the end of the year.

Mr Aves, who lives in Burnley, described the current financial situation was the worst he had known in his time in office.

He said: “We thought we’d had it tough before, during the 1980s for instance, but the current situation is far harder than I’ve ever known it. Times have certainly changed since I started.”

Mr Aves left the University of Hull in 1974 with a degree in maths. He started his working career as a trainee accountant with Cambridgeshire County Council, his home county.

At Burnley Council he was promoted to principal account in 1983, assistant borough treasurer in 1988, accountancy services manager in 1996, and director of finance in 2000.

“After almost four decades in local government finance its going to be strange not to come into work every day but I’m sure I’ll get used to it very quickly,” he said.

“I’ve nothing specifically planned for retirement but it will definitely include more holidays.”

Highlights of his long career include the transfer of council housing to Calico, setting up a fair pay scheme for council staff, and establishing proper controls over council finances.

The council has begun the search for Mr Aves’ successor, with an advert for the role appearing in national newspapers.