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Haringey LBC chief executive, Ita O'Donovan, is stepping down almost 12 months after the Baby P scandal engulfed her London borough. ‘The last 18 months have been particularly challenging' Ita O'Donovan, Haringey LBC chief executive Dr O'Donovan, who turned 65 last May and has been in charge at Haringey for three-and-a-half years, said she had planned to retire before but had been asked to stay on to provide stability following the Baby P scandal, which broke last December. She told The MJ she intended leaving next March, and that the council's aim was for her successor to be in place early next year. She added: ‘I was thinking of retiring in May, but stayed on to help provide stability.' She admitted: ‘I've always found the job interesting, but the last 18 months have been particularly challenging, as it should have been.' Dr O'Donovan, who was previously chief executive at Stoke-on-Trent, said the council had learned from mistakes around the Baby P case, in particular, the need for more robust performance monitoring. It has also recruited social workers from North America to reduce the number of agency staff. She added: ‘No local authority experienced the 24/7 media like us last year. ‘We've listened to criticisms that we were slow off the mark, and we've thought more deeply about communication issues.' She insisted that the council would ‘vigorously defend' an unfair dismissal case brought by its former children's services director, Sharon Shoesmith, who was sacked following Baby P. The ex-director is also challenging education secretary, Ed Balls, in the High Court in early October. The council, previously three stars under CPA, slipped down to one star after the critical Ofsted report into its children's services. Dr O'Donovan added: ‘The general performance of the council is good as CPA demonstrated and hopefully this will be confirmed in the CAA.' She told The MJ in an interview last February with her and new leader, Claire Kober, that she had considered resigning over Baby P but the council had asked her to stay on following the resignation of long-standing leader, George Meehan. Haringey then set up a board of external advisers to help improve performance, which included Hackney mayor Jules Pipe, and former Ealing LBC chief executive, Darra Singh.

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WHITEHALL

Haringey chief reveals decision to quit council

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