Lewisham Council has announced chief executive Ian Thomas is stepping down at the end of the year, after only six months in the post.
This came after Lewisham Council decided to “take a new direction,” a council spokesperson said.
“Ian Thomas was appointed by Lewisham Council before the last local elections under the previous administration,” they said.
“Since May 2018, the new administration in Lewisham has reviewed its ways of working. With no negative reflection on Ian, it has been decided to take a new direction and following a constructive dialogue with Ian, he has agreed to step aside from his role at the end of this year.
Former Rotherham children’s director leaves London CEO role
EX-RMBC children’s services director Ian Thomas has agreed to step down as Lewisham Council boss after seven months.
The London authority had decided to “take a new direction” following a change of leadership at May’s elections, a spokesman said.
Mr Thomas took up his £145,000 Rotherham Borough Council role in 2015 and led the children’s department turnaround after the Jay report.
Posted by rikshelpers@rikv.net
Rotherham Politics 
It seems Mr Thomas and the new administration didn’t get on which, I am sure, has caused this departure.
Does anyone know any more?
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From comments seen online I don’t think he will be missed !! Not to good for his CV – wonder where he will pop up next ?? Anywhere other than a return to Rotherham I hope.
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It appears he has not got past his 6 months probation and they have got rid b4 it incurs severance payments to local tax payers?
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This seems to follow many of the Common Purpose placements in a CSE environment – or ‘useful idiots’ as the boss of CP, Julia Middleton might say – brought in, destined to fail, just as has been seen with the likes of Sonia Sharp. See also James Rennie, Matthew Byrne among others when looking at CP and CSE.
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A good move by Damien Egan, an individual known for his pragmatic feet on the ground approach to local politics and allergy to PC double speak.
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Funny that Damien Egan sits on the Lewisham Appointments Panel 🙂
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`It’s the most difficult job in Britain` announced Ian Thomas as he took the extremely well paid job in Rotherham.
Well is wasn’t, the whistle-blowers had blown the lid of the hidden abuse of children, the Times was on the case, the police on the back-foot, central government was about to pour cash into the problem, the controlling Labour group had been found out and the old guard was mostly gone.
Victims had the guts to stand up in court and confront their abusers and the public were outraged, a difficult job?
More like a stepping stone to a better and well remunerated job, it would look great on a CV.
TV appearances would help gild the lilly of progress and the PC lessons learned mantra, then a move to Lewisham where the wheel came off.
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
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