The Chief Executive of East Lothian Council is to move to a role with Scotland’s newly established national public health organisation.
Angela Leitch will leave East Lothian Council in December after eight years to take up the role of Chief Executive at Public Health Scotland.
The search for her replacement at East Lothian Council is expected to begin in due course.
Mrs Leitch said:
“In my eight years with East Lothian Council we have seen significant change in both the council and the county. It has been fulfilling and rewarding to work alongside our employees, elected members, local groups and partners in delivering services across our communities.
“As evidenced by last year’s report from the Accounts Commission and reinforced by Quality Scotland, East Lothian is a high-performing council which compares favourably to other local authorities and continues to improve.
“This is testament to our teams across East Lothian whose commitment and dedication has delivered high levels of satisfaction with the services we provide, and has meant we have achieved or exceeded our targets.
“My role with Public Health Scotland will be focused on a renewed effort to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland. It is a genuinely unique opportunity, with a new national organisation that is responsible jointly to the Scottish Government and COSLA, to build on the critical role local authorities and our partners have in improving the health of people in local communities.
“I’m looking forward to building on the connections I’ve made in the last eight years, working to making a real difference to the health of Scotland’s communities by applying a partnership approach.
“There is no doubt that I will always fondly remember the people and time I have spent in East Lothian.”
Council Leader Willie Innes said:
“I would like to thank Angela Leitch for her strong and effective leadership of East Lothian Council since 2011.
“In her eight years as Chief Executive, she has ensured that the council has had a strong focus on delivering on improvements to services.
“This is reflected in a number of ways, including clear strategic direction and improving overall performance, as recognised by Scotland’s local government spending watchdog.
“She has helped oversee the introduction of new initiatives such as the East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership and the formation of Area Partnerships, which have helped to empower our communities and reduce inequalities.
“While East Lothian has not been immune to the very difficult financial circumstances faced by local authorities the length and breadth of Scotland, the council has continued to deliver effective financial management.
“I would like to wish Angela every success for her new role, in which I’m sure she’ll be able to draw on her experience from here in East Lothian.
“Our focus now will be on finding a high calibre replacement, who can build upon the very strong foundations laid by Angela since 2011, and take us forward.”