THE managing director of Worcester City Council has decided to quit, it has emerged.

Sheena Ramsey is stepping down to become chief executive at Gateshead Council, and will depart in February after 18 months in the job.

The move is a blow to the city's Labour leadership, which now faces a surprise hunt for a new boss in the £105,00-a-year role.

Ms Ramsey's previous job before arriving in Worcester was in Merseyside, at Knowsley Council where she worked for nearly a decade, and her family are still based in the north.

This morning she said she had taken the decision "with a heavy heart" and insisted it was "for entirely personal reasons" to be closer to her family who are in the north east.

The announcement, made to stunned staff today, also comes just two days after councillors voted to rip up the cabinet system and adopt a committee model from next May.

Ms Ramsey is expected to remain in charge until the 2017/18 budget is voted through in February before departing.

She said: "It is with a heavy heart that I have taken this difficult decision, which is for entirely personal reasons.

"I'll be starting a new job in the North East of England, where I will be closer to my family.

"I am proud of my time with Worcester City Council and of all the staff who deliver such excellent services for this beautiful city.

"We have developed a very exciting new City Plan and begun the vital process of transforming the council to make it even more efficient.

"I want to thank all members of the council, and all the officers for making my time here enjoyable and successful, and wish them all the very best of luck for the future."

Worcester News:

Labour Cllr Adrian Gregson, the leader, said: "I'm very sorry to see Sheena go.

"She has proved to be an excellent managing director for the council, but I fully understand her reasons for leaving.

"We will begin the process to recruit a new managing director very shortly.

"In the meantime, the council will continue its priorities to deliver the ambitions of the City Plan and achieve savings of £2 million over the next three to five years."

Ms Ramsey, who joined in August last year, beat off more than 40 candidates to land the job, not least because of her strong track record in regeneration.

She was appointed on a cross-party basis with backing from the Conservative and Labour groups.

She left her £195,000-a-year job at Knowsley Council during a huge redundancy programme.