Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott has defended her controversial decision to drop the post of chief executive saying it was down to budget cuts.

In an exclusive article in The MJ this Thursday (November 3) Cllr Scott writes: ‘Like many authorities we have been affected by the cut in grant funding and we have had to make some further tough decisions. We don't want to cut any of our frontline services and lose the confidence of the people we serve.'

She adds that she was ‘not afraid to make difficult decisions' citing the loss of 220 managers to save more than £8m earlier this year.

The shake-up, confirmed last month, proposes the abolition of the unitary council's chief executive post held by Andrew Kerr who joined in February 2010 and who will be made redundant.

Cllr Scott continues: ‘We recognise that removing the post of chief executive is a radical and untested strategy by a large and newly formed unitary council…However we know Wiltshire has strong political leadership and has developed a clear vision and set of goals for the next few years.'

She says that the council's three corporate directors ‘led by myself' will provide the strategic element' and concludes: ‘All I would say now is watch this space.'