MONMOUTHSHIRE County Council’s head of planning is leaving her post less than six months after her promotion was announced.

MCC’s planning committee this afternoon was told it would be the last meeting attended by head of planning Amy Longford.

Her appointment was only announced at the committee’s January meeting but Councillor Phil Murphy told councillors Ms Longford will be leaving the authority next week.

When the council agreed, in April, pay increases of around £10,000 to be staggered over two years for its eight most senior officers Cllr Ben Callard, the Labour cabinet member for finance, said the authority hadn’t received a single external applicant for the head of planning post it had recently advertised. Head of planning isn’t one of the most senior posts subjected to the increases.

Cllr Murphy said Ms Longford wanted to “say a bit towards the end of the meeting” but the public screening was cut before she addressed councillors, despite the chairman having made clear her comments were intended to be made during the meeting.