A COUNCIL has lost its third director in less than a year sparking fears of a leadership crisis.

Pinaki Ghoshal will resign as Brighton and Hove City Council’s interim housing chief to direct children’s services at Lewisham London Borough Council from June.

The 57-year-old is the third executive director to leave the city council since Labour retained its minority administration in last May’s local election.

Former housing chief Larissa Reed had stepped down last July, while ex-finance boss Dave Kuenssberg left for the Home Office in January.

Conservative deputy leader Lee Wares said Mr Ghoshal’s departure leaves a “huge hole” in the city council’s ability to govern.

“It is worrying that in a short period of time since the May elections half of all executive directors of the council have now left,” Cllr Wares said.

“If there is something more to it then the Labour leader of the council has a growing crisis on her hands that needs to be resolved very quickly.

“We accept staff may wish and are entitled to move on and we hope that the timing of their collective departure is just coincidental.”

But city council chief executive Geoff Raw said it could manage the directors’ departures.

“All three chose to leave the council for other jobs. No settlements, pay-outs or extra payments were involved,” he said.

“We are an organisation that can manage the usual turnover you would expect at a senior level.

“We considered bringing in interim support for our current vacancies.

“But good succession planning and the strength and depth of our workforce have meant we have been able to put in place excellent internal interim arrangements that are working well.

“Staff who do a great job for us and then move on to other opportunities always leave with our best wishes.”

Mr Ghoshal has worked for the city council for seven years in multiple roles.

He presided over children’s services in the city during last year’s home-to-school transport crisis when dozens of disabled pupils were left unable to get to school.

Parents complained of chaos after several contractors tasked with taking children to school pulled out just before the term began in September.

An independent review into the crisis is currently under way.

Chief executive Mr Raw said Mr Ghoshal had made significant improvements for children in Brighton.

“I’m delighted for Pinaki but he will missed,” Mr Raw said.

“Pinaki has led on some key improvements for families in the city, including improving the council’s Ofsted rating for its children’s social care services.

“While his departure for new opportunities and challenges is of course a loss to us, it was foreseeable.”