THE officer who has been at the helm of West Somerset Council - currently facing the deepest financial and managerial crisis in its history - is to leave the authority at the end of the year, it was confirmed yesterday (Thursday). The departure of chief executive Tim Howes after seven years in the top job comes just over a month after his former deputy and finance chief Rod Latham left the council. Both men have taken voluntary redundancy, with Mr Latham's pay-off package also including an early retirement element. Despite the council's serious problems, Mr Howes said he was proud of his achievements. "I have really enjoyed my time at West Somerset Council and am proud of my achievements and the fact that I could play a part in delivering the regeneration projects as well as producing service improve- ments and major efficiency savings. "The members and staff have been enormously supportive, which is what you require at such a small authority with very limited capacity," he said. Mr Howes was one of the lead players in steering the council into the development of new multi- million pound centralised offices, currently under construction in Williton. He has also overseen a series of redundancy rounds which have cut staffing levels. During his term of office, the authority has been criticised by a number of independent agencies for its performance in certain areas. In 2004 the council was branded a weak authority in the Government's Comprehensive Performance Assessment. And in March this year it was rated a zero star council, out of a possible three stars, with uncertain prospects for improvement for its affordable housing services. The Audit Commission, one of its sternest critics, has recently highlighted the council's failure to deliver affordable housing, its poor financial management and failure to give value for money. And in the last couple of months, work carried out by the Local Government Association's IDeA - the Improvement and Development Agency - revealed the council was on the verge of being forced to receive help running its day-to-day operations. Council leader Cllr Keith Ross said he wished Mr Howes well for the future. "Under Tim's management the council has continued to improve its service delivery of high profile services such as grounds maintenance, refuse collection and street-sweeping that resulted in public satisfaction ratings in the upper quartile for all councils," he said. The council will be appointing an interim general manager in the new year and Cllr Ross said he and the cabinet would be supporting senior managers until the appointment was made. "Some of the chief executive's statutory duties will be delegated to senior executive officers to ensure that all of the council's statutory obligations are met."