New post for social services director




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SUNDERLAND social services director John Marsden is leaving after a decade on Wearside.
Mr Marsden is taking up the new post of chief executive at the troubled North Tyneside Council.The 53-year-old takes over the £100,000-a-year post after almost 10 years in charge of Sunderland Council's social services department.Mr Marsden took over from Roy Parker at a time when social services in Sunderland were in crisis.The former director of
community services at the London Borough of Barnet was the fourth director of social services on Wearside in two years when he started in August 1992.In his time at Sunderland he has had to handle sensitive children's cases such as that of Laura Kane and Corey Raine and a trial of former workers at Witherwack House, a trial which eventually collapsed.But he was rewarded by Government inspectors last month when his department was one of only eight in the country to get a maximum three stars for its performance.He will take up the challenge of moving to a council which has recently had to make £11million-worth of cuts because of financial problems.Mr Marsden is the latest top director at Sunderland council to leave this year.Four directors have retired and Irene Lucas, former chief of City Contracting Services, has moved to South Tyneside Council as its new chief executive.